UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall addressed the media for the primary time since signing with Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Expertise Company, explaining his causes for partnering with certainly one of boxing’s strongest figures throughout a press convention at Battersea Energy Station in London on Friday.
Aspinall, 32, was introduced because the inaugural consumer of the newly shaped Matchroom Expertise Company on Thursday, March 5. The deal is business and advisory in nature, that means Hearn’s workforce will deal with Aspinall’s enterprise dealings and brand-building whereas his father, Andy Aspinall, stays his supervisor and head coach at Staff Kaobon in Atherton, England.
UFC Heavyweight Champ Tom Aspinall Breaks Silence on Eddie Hearn Deal: “I Need to Be a Trailblazer”
On the press convention, Aspinall opened up concerning the position his father has performed all through his profession and what this new chapter means for MMA fighters at giant. He explained:
“Anybody who’s adopted my profession is aware of how shut me and my dad are. He’s my supervisor and coach, and has been from the very starting. Hopefully this would be the begin the place different MMA fighters can have a look at what I’m doing and assume, ‘Take a look at the cash he’s making. Take a look at the alternatives he’s getting with Matchroom and Eddie Hearn.’”
The Salford-born fighter, who holds an expert MMA file of 15-3 with one no contest, made it clear that his motivation goes past private achieve. He needs to set a precedent for a way MMA fighters strategy their incomes potential.
“I wish to be a little bit of a trailblazer for MMA fighters, to point out that you may achieve success and make good cash exterior the Octagon in addition to inside it. Quite a lot of fighters complain about pay, publicly and privately, however on the finish of the day, that’s what we signed up for. There are different alternatives on the market for fighters; it’s as much as us to go after them.”
A Brief Window to Earn
Aspinall hasn’t fought since UFC 321 in October 2025, the place his first title protection in opposition to Ciryl Gane led to a no contest after a collection of eye pokes within the first spherical. He was subsequently recognized with “vital traumatic bilateral Brown’s syndrome” and chronic double imaginative and prescient, and underwent surgical procedure on both eyes in February 2026. That have clearly formed his considering.
“As athletes, we solely get a brief window to earn a living. With what’s gone on in my profession, together with accidents, I wish to make as a lot as I can and arrange my household for generations. That’s what I’m trying to do with this new alternative.”
The champion additionally moved to close down hypothesis that the Matchroom deal indicators a swap to boxing.
“Now, clearly, individuals are going to ask questions on me working with Eddie Hearn and Matchroom. Some would possibly assume I’m shifting into boxing, however that’s not my intention proper now. Perhaps someday earlier than I retire, however in the intervening time, MMA is the place I’m at.”
Fighter Pay and the Monetary Ceiling
Aspinall didn’t maintain again when discussing the monetary realities of being a UFC champion. Whereas Aspinall didn’t reference his contract standing immediately on the press convention, his frustration with the pay construction in MMA was evident.
“Quite a lot of fighters, even UFC champions, complain about pay. However that’s the contract all of us signal, you’re not going to get greater than that. I’ve accepted that, and I’m targeted on making as a lot as doable exterior the Octagon. Commercially, there’s quite a bit to be performed with my profile, and I feel my monetary ceiling is way larger than what I’m at present getting paid. I wish to discover that as a lot as I can.”
He highlighted the pay hole between fighters on the high and people decrease down the cardboard, particularly when Zuffa boxing is signing fighters to main $15m contracts.
“If one man’s making 15 million and one other man’s making 15 grand, that’s an enormous distinction. That’s a part of the rationale I’m exploring different choices.”
Why Matchroom?
Hearn has guided the careers of two-time heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua and two-weight undisputed ladies’s champion Katie Taylor. His observe file in constructing athlete manufacturers was a serious draw for Aspinall.
“Eddie and Matchroom are a powerhouse group. They’ll be working with and advising my dad, who’s at all times been my supervisor. I’m certain they’ll assist us make good selections financially for the longer term.”
The transfer comes simply weeks after Hearn misplaced certainly one of his largest boxing stars, Conor Benn, to Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing in a deal reportedly value eight figures. Hearn responded by launching the Matchroom Expertise Company and instantly signing the UFC’s heavyweight champion, a transfer broadly seen as a direct counter-punch in his escalating rivalry with White.
The Greater Image
The timing of Aspinall’s deal provides one other layer to the more and more public feud between Hearn and UFC president Dana White. White advised Piers Morgan earlier than the signing was introduced that he and Aspinall “clearly want to speak” and insisted he has “by no means had a problem” with the champion. The UFC boss additionally downplayed any concern about which representatives his fighters select to work with.
Hearn, in the meantime, had beforehand accused White of “humiliating” Aspinall over the attention damage state of affairs, claiming the UFC boss “mainly referred to as him a crybaby and solid him apart”.
Aspinall closed the press convention with a message for the broader MMA group.
“On the finish of the day, speaking doesn’t change a lot. Fighters want to start out exploring their choices and taking motion if they need issues to enhance. Each time I step into the cage, I’m risking my well being, that’s a part of this sport. I simply wish to be compensated for that as pretty as I can.”
Aspinall holds the UFC file for shortest common combat time at two minutes and 18 seconds, with six of his eight UFC wins completed earlier than the midway level of the primary spherical. He has but to obtain clearance to return to competitors following his double eye surgical procedure, although he has indicated he needs to rebook the Gane combat as quickly as doable. With two fights believed to stay on his UFC deal, his subsequent transfer inside and out of doors the cage will probably be one of the vital carefully watched tales in fight sports activities this yr.
