Eddie Hearn surprises Dana White with a bold offer to free Tom Aspinall from his UFC contract.
Eddie Hearn has asked Dana White to let Tom Aspinall leave his UFC contract.
Hearn recently signed 33-year-old Aspinall to his new talent agency and wants the Salford heavyweight to have better chances to earn more money.
Aspinall became the undisputed UFC heavyweight champion after Jon Jones retired last summer. His first title defense in October ended without a winner because an accidental eye poke from challenger Ciryl Gane stopped the fight.
BBC Sport says Hearn, who runs Matchroom, is willing to help Aspinall earn more if he can leave the UFC. Hearn hasn’t said if Aspinall would stay in MMA or try boxing, where he won his only professional fight nearly 10 years ago.
Hearn is also in a feud with UFC boss Dana White and has made an offer to make the deal sweeter. He’s willing to drop legal action over boxer Conor Benn, who switched from Hearn’s agency to White’s company, if Aspinall is released.
Hearn said, “I’ll drop all their legal problems about Conor Benn if they let Tom Aspinall go. I promise Tom will make at least three times more money than now, and I’ll put it in writing. Dana White should want what’s best for Tom, who is very unhappy, and let him leave the UFC.”
Aspinall has been with UFC since 2020, winning his first fight against Jake Collier. He had a five-fight win streak before his only loss to Curtis Blaydes two years later. Blaydes was also his opponent in a 2024 title defense in Manchester.
After the eye injury from the fight with Gane, Aspinall had surgery in February. Gane also got his first no-contest from that fight in Abu Dhabi.
Many experts think the UFC should have stricter punishments for fighters who accidentally poke their opponents in the eye.