UFC CEO Dana White continues to be not amused with Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn since Hearn officially signed UFC Heavyweight Tom Aspinall in a managerial capacity earlier this year.
Hearn went viral Friday, claiming the UFC is paying Aspinall one-fiftieth of what it should be for Aspinall to face the winner of next Sunday’s UFC Freedom 250 co-headliner between Alex Pereira and Cyril Gane. Whoever wins would unify against Aspinall in a perfect scenario, but Hearn said he wouldn’t let it happen.
Following Zuffa Boxing 7 in Bournemouth Saturday, a frustrated White addressed Hearn’s remarks about Aspinall and called out Hearn’s hypocrisy regarding his own business practices.
“He said he wanted [Aspinall] released right?” White asked while laughing. “You release Bam Rodriguez, then. Sounds pretty stupid, doesn’t it? Congratulations, Eddie. You sound stupid again.”
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White, who began promoting boxing events in an official capacity under the Zuffa Boxing banner in January, has dealt with fighters who were represented by Hearn previously. Of course, this includes Conor Benn.
Although Benn is linked to his own boxing match vs. Ryan Garcia later this year (but without official confirmation), White called out Hearn for apparently allowing his ego to disrupt the Benn relationship.
“He didn’t even want to pay him, but he wants to pay my guy,” White said of the Aspinall situation in contrast to Benn. “He could’ve paid his best friend and they could’ve remained best friends. Eddie’s full of a lot of s**t. You know it. I know it. You know it. We all know it.”
White didn’t definitively say whether Aspinall could get stripped of his UFC Heavyweight Championship. However, whoever wins between Pereira and Gane, plus how either one wins, will play a factor in the immediate divisional next steps.
White said he is unbothered by the saga, reiterating that he can’t force Aspinall to return to the promotion, despite his status as champion.
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“I mean, if Eddie’s not going to let his fighter fight, what are you going to do? You can’t make anybody fight,” White said. “You can’t force anybody to fight. You have to want to fight, so we’ll see how it plays out.”
Aspinall has remained inactive since last October, suffering eye injuries in his No Contest vs. Gane at UFC 321. Aspinall has had a tumultuous last few years in MMA, as Jon Jones’ retirement last summer saw a potential blockbuster fight never come to fruition.
For now, we’ll see if Aspinall fully recovers while deciding to meet the UFC’s demands (or not).
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