Eddie Hearn ‘comes in peace’ but willing to ‘battle fiercely’ for Tom Aspinall

The host of the press conference staged to announce the UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall to Matchroom’s newly formed Talent Agency started by referencing the development that he insisted meant those present “spat their dinner out”.

That same self-congratulatory tone remained prominent from Eddie Hearn and the surrounding staff from Matchroom and DAZN – Aspinall was largely an exception – while it was twice referenced how “the internet broke”.

But if it is near-impossible not to see the parallels between the start of Aspinall’s association with Matchroom with the gravity of when Zuffa Boxing signed Conor Benn, it is similarly difficult to avoid the conclusion that – no matter how much they may want it to – it hasn’t yet made the same impact.

While footage of their meeting in Monte Carlo played on screens in an attempt to promote the occasion’s significance, the turnout to attend something that supposedly broke the internet ultimately didn’t feel that significant at all. 

What felt and sounded significant was what was tempting to interpret as Hearn speaking almost directly to Dana White from the top table. There were also moments in which when he spoke about Aspinall he used words that he very recently may even have used for himself.

“A narrative can get spun on you that deflates your mojo and makes you feel like ‘I don’t want to do it’,” Hearn said when referencing the way that the 32-year-old’s career has stalled. 

“You’ve got to bounce back from this and realise how big you are.” He also described him as the “Flagship of UFC.”

Another conversation about Aspinall that Hearn referenced was one with Michael Ridout, DAZN’s EVP of Combat Sports and New Business. The interest of a senior figure at a broadcaster unable to promote or broadcast the relevant fighter suggests that the threat Matchroom may feel under is shared by DAZN.

“I know there’s a back and forth on the boxing and that’s going to pass and blow over,” Hearn also said, and he may yet be right.

“The phone hasn’t stopped since yesterday,” he then said when he appeared to be sending messages to White and Zuffa. “We’ve had over a dozen MMA fighters saying ‘Can we talk?’.

“It’s not just limited to the world of sport. You’re gonna see quite a big move from us in the football market as well.” 

“If one guy’s getting paid $15m and the other’s getting paid $15,000…” Aspinall said, citing the money reportedly being paid to Benn and the chasm between that and the realities of the UFC. “I think it’s bothered everybody.”

“I’ve got a great team behind me – I’m not worried about anything,” he then responded when asked if he feared his relationship with Hearn would prove problematic with the UFC. “I think it’s all gonna work out for the best.”

“We was looking to make this move, but having spoken to Tom and looking at the current climate I knew it was a move that would create 50 times the noise now,” Hearn then said. “The first conversation that me and Tom had was a week ago. Wednesday was the first time we ever met in person, properly, and it all got done very quickly.

“Because of what’s happened at the moment, of course it’s a much bigger story; there’s a much bigger buzz; there’s plenty of hype. All of a sudden, within 12 hours, Tom Aspinall is a much bigger star than he’s ever been before, so that’s job done. We’re actually using that as a benefit.

“But I think the sizes of the organisations, and the smartness of the organisations, will also lend itself to ‘We come in peace’. This isn’t about me sitting up here saying ‘What Tom’s earning’s a joke; he needs to be on this; we’re not fighting for the UFC; we want this’. Not at all. We’ll calmly, and as a team, work through what we’re doing with Tom’s career. We also understand and respect the contract that’s in place and the contract that’s been signed. This is not a game. We’re a professional agency that deals with the event, the rights holders, in a professional manner, but we also battle fiercely for our clients and we will be doing that for Tom as well.

“If it does make life difficult for Tom what kind of organisation are they? You’re gonna make life difficult for Tom ‘cause he’s signed by a manager? 

“Ultimately, we’re probably gonna be a lot easier to deal with than a lot of the managers they have to deal with. Tom was in a position where he needed representation at a high level, and respect, and a voice to be heard, and we tick every one of those boxes.”