Eddie Hearn: Tom Aspinall’s Ufc contract ‘is a f*cking disgrace’
Eddie Hearn tore into the ufc pay structure, calling Tom Aspinall’s contract “a f*cking disgrace” as Aspinall prepares to return to the octagon. Hearn, who now serves as a representative of the UFC heavyweight champion, said the deal badly undercuts the commercial value Aspinall would bring in matches with Ciryl Gane or Alex Pereira. Aspinall has no timetable to return after a no-contest at UFC 321 in October when Gane delivered a nasty eye poke that left the champion recovering.
Ufc pay and Aspinall’s deal under fire
Eddie Hearn delivered blunt criticism of the contract, saying: “I’m going to bite my tongue a little bit, for now. But what I will tell you is his contract is a f*cking disgrace. Right? A disgrace. ” Hearn said he cannot reconcile the pay on that contract with the commercial revenue a fight between Aspinall and high-profile opponents would generate. He added, “I cannot believe the money that he’s on when you look at the commercial revenue that his fight would generate against a Pereira, or against a Gane in a rematch. ” Hearn frames the issue as more than a single deal: he described a broader gap between what the promotion pays and what fighters can earn when commercial opportunities are factored in.
Commercial deals out-earning fight purses, Hearn says
Beyond the contract criticism, Hearn outlined Matchroom-managed commercial efforts for Aspinall. “We are closing in on a number of deals for Tom Aspinall, ” Hearn said, and stressed quick returns, adding that Aspinall “will make more money in commercial deals than he did for one of his recent fights. ” Hearn noted the speed of the work: “Within 10 days of working with Matchroom. One of his recent fights, in the last four fights. So they’re leaving a lot of money on the table. ” He warned that after taxes and team payments the current fight pay can make little financial sense: “By the time you pay your tax and paid your team, there’s no f*cking point in even fighting. “
Immediate fallout and what’s next for the heavyweight picture
Hearn said Aspinall wants to fight and wants rematches, but that the fighter’s contract and recovery complicate timing. “He wants to come back. He wants to rematch Gane. He wants to fight Pereira. He wants to defend his world heavyweight title, ” Hearn said. For now, Aspinall is watching Ciryl Gane face Alex Pereira for an interim heavyweight title at an event scheduled in June, while he continues to recover from the eye injury sustained at UFC 321. Hearn added a personal warning about health and career calculus, referencing Aspinall’s surgeries after the eye poke: “Especially when you’ve had four operations after your eyes got gouged out. “
Expect the debate over fighter compensation to intensify as Matchroom pursues commercial deals for Aspinall and as the promotion moves toward an interim title fight in June; watch for negotiations over any proposed return while Aspinall recovers and for further public exchanges between Hearn and UFC leadership as this unfolds in the coming weeks. The ufc pay question, Hearn insists, will remain central to whether top fighters take certain matchups or push commercial routes outside the cage.
