Eddie Hearn, the new manager for Tom Aspinall, has publicly requested UFC President Dana White to release Aspinall from his contract. Hearn stated that Aspinall is dissatisfied with his current UFC deal and expressed his intention to offer the heavyweight champion compensation at least three times greater than his UFC earnings.
During an interview with IFL TV, Hearn elaborated on the situation: “I would like Dana White to release Tom Aspinall from his UFC contract. I will guarantee 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.”
The strained relationship between Tom Aspinall and Dana White appears to have worsened following an eye-poke incident. Aspinall was reportedly displeased with some of White’s remarks concerning his injury, and despite later attempts by the UFC CEO to mend the situation, the British fighter remains unhappy that White did not personally contact him sooner.
Tom Aspinall Remains Unavailable for Contact Training
Tom Aspinall is currently sidelined and recovering from double eye surgery. During his title defense against Ciryl Gane at UFC 321 last year, Aspinall suffered an eye poke that prevented him from continuing, leading to the bout being declared a no-contest.
Following surgery in 2026, Aspinall has not yet been medically cleared for fighting or any form of contact training.
In Aspinall’s absence, Alex Pereira and Ciryl Gane are scheduled to compete for the interim heavyweight title on June 14. If Aspinall is cleared to return later this year, he is expected to face the interim champion in a title unification bout.