Eddie Hearn, the boxing promoter and the new manager of UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall, asked Dana White to release his client.
Aspinall hired Hearn in March to be his manager, and just two months later, Hearn went on the offensive against White, telling him to release his fighter from his UFC contract. Hearn, who promotes Matchroom Sport, said in his message to White that Aspinall is “extremely unhappy” with his UFC contract and he would like the UFC to release him from his deal.
“I would like Dana White to release Tom Aspinall from his UFC contract. I will guarantee Dana that I will pay Tom Aspinall a MINIMUM of 3 times more what Dana White is paying him. Dana White should be happy for Tom Aspinall to receive that deal. (Aspinall) is extremely unhappy… unfortunately for him, he has signed a contract which is one of the worst, most grossly underpaid athletes I have ever seen. It’s absolutely disgusting what they’re paying him. Things need to change,” Hearn told IFL TV.
Tom Aspinall Hasn’t Fought Since Last October
Aspinall, the UFC heavyweight champion, has not fought since last October, when he suffered an eye poke against Ciryl Gane in a fight that was ruled a No Contest. His eye injury has taken far longer to recover than he could have ever imagined, and he still hasn’t been cleared to return to the Octagon yet. If Hearn gets his wish, Aspinall won’t ever step foot inside the cage for the UFC again.
Although Aspinall is one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in MMA, he and White have not seen eye-to-eye, with White hinting that he thought the champ should have continued against Gane. As well, Aspinall believes he should be paid more money, so he and White aren’t exactly cordial these days, even though he is his boss at the UFC.
Will the UFC Release Tom Aspinall?
Hearn might be asking for the UFC to release Aspinall from his contract, but there’s no guarantee the UFC will do it. In fact, it’s extremely unlikely that White would ever agree to it.
If Aspinall were released, he would immediately sign with Matchroom Sport and likely take a boxing match with Hearn, so it makes no sense from a business perspective for White to let him go. Even if Aspinall is unhappy with his pay and how the UFC is treating him, there’s still no incentive for White to cut him loose.
Unfortunately for Aspinall, he will likely have to stay in the UFC, where Hearn says he is unhappy, and fight out his contract with the world’s leading MMA promotion before he is allowed to go anywhere else. While Hearn and Aspinall may try everything in their power to get him out of his UFC deal, it just doesn’t seem plausible that White would let him out of the contract.
We’ll see how this saga unfolds between Aspinall and the UFC, but with Hearn now managing his career, look for him and White to continue to butt heads for the foreseeable future, at least until something gives.
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