UFC's Tom Aspinall Signs With Eddie Hearn's Matchroom Amid Dana White Feud

UFC Heavyweight Champion Tom Aspinall has signed with Eddie Hearn's Matchroom Talent Agency. 

The Matchroom Boxing promoter announced Aspinall as the inaugural signing for the newly-established talent agency, a move that many may see as retaliation for Dana White and Zuffa Boxing's poaching of Conor Benn. 

"Welcome to the team UFC Heavyweight Champ Tom Aspinall – Time to get what's yours," Hearn announced on X. 

Welcome to the team UFC Heavyweight Champ @AspinallMMA – Time to get what's yours 👑

Matchroom Talent Agency 🚀 pic.twitter.com/dAWes5KsR4

— Eddie Hearn (@EddieHearn) March 5, 2026

Aspinall was promoted from Interim to Undisputed Champion in light of Jon Jones' retirement last year, though he saw his first defense of the title end in a no-contest after Ciryl Gane poked his eye, requiring him to get surgery. He has yet to return to the Octagon, but it appears that Hearn will be on his side in any negotiations going forward. 

"It has become a guiding principle to seek out people who are humble but heroic in equal measure," Hearn told ESPN. "Their journey is our journey. Their triumph, our purpose... Tom Aspinall is the perfect embodiment of that – and he is the ideal, inaugural member of our team."

White and Hearn have been going back-and-forth with the former's entry into boxing with Zuffa, especially after it was announced that former Matchroom fighter, Benn, had penned a $15 million deal with Zuffa after allegedly refusing contact with Hearn. 

Aspinall spoke highly of the move, citing Hearn's pedigree in promoting and negotiating on behalf of athletes. 

"I'm really excited to welcome Eddie and the Matchroom Sport group in a commercial and advisory role, and to become the first athlete to join the new Matchroom Talent Agency," Aspinall said. "Eddie has built one of the biggest brands in sport and understands how to take athletes to the next level, both inside and outside of competition."

Aspinall has similarly had issues with the handling of his own run as Heavyweight Champion, pushing publicly for the Undisputed title match to be made between him and Jones prior to his retirement. White has also been dismissive of Aspinall's injury and absence from the top of the card.

"Tom didn't want to continue the fight," White had said in the UFC 321 press conference. Comments Aspinall admitted he was disappointed in, even if White had said afterwards that he didn't intend to be derogatory.

This will be Hearn's first foray into the world of MMA, having established Matchroom Boxing as part of his father Barry Hearn's Matchroom Sport. In 2021, his father stepped down as Chairman of Matchroom Sport in lieu of his son, becoming President of the company in an advisory role.

He has since gone on to steer the careers of multi-time World Champions in Anthony Joshua and Katie Taylor, as well as signing boxing's first $1 billion deal with DAZN in 2018, and promoting the 2019 attraction fight between KSI and Logan Paul.