Eddie Hearn tells Dana White to release Tom Aspinall: “It’s absolutely disgusting what they’re paying”

Tom Aspinall’s new manager, Eddie Hearn, has asked his archrival Dana White to release Aspinall from his UFC contract.

Hearn recently stated that Aspinall is unhappy with his UFC contract and therefore wants him released from the UFC, after which the Matchroom boss will take care of the heavyweight champion and pay him at least 3 times more than he’s getting paid by the UFC now. During an interview with IFL TV, he said:

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.”

Check out Eddie Hearn’s comments below:

Eddie Hearn just challenged Dana White to release Tom Aspinall from the UFC 👀

“I will pay him a minimum of 3x more than what Dana White is paying him.

He should be happy for him. He’s one of the most grossly underpaid athletes I’ve ever seen. It’s disgusting.”

(via @IFLTV) pic.twitter.com/gCjvzYZMAn

— Happy Punch (@HappyPunch) May 29, 2026

Tom Aspinall and Dana White do not seem to share the same relationship anymore following Aspinall’s eye-poke incident. Aspinall did not appreciate some of the comments White made regarding his injury. Although the UFC CEO later attempted to clear the air, the Brit still appears unhappy that his boss did not personally reach out to him sooner.

Tom Aspinall is still not cleared to spar

Tom Aspinall is currently on the sidelines after double eye surgery. Last year at UFC 321, while defending his 265-pound strap against Ciryl Gane, he was poked in both eyes by Gane, after which the Brit wasn’t able to continue fighting, and the bout had to be declared a no-contest.

Following double eye surgery in 2026, Aspinall is still not cleared to fight or even do contact training to date.

Tom Aspinall’s return is not on the horizon. Doctors have not cleared him and he remains banned from sparring or fighting.

🗣️“I’ve just had my recent scan, and I thought I was gonna get cleared, actually, to spar and fight straight away, but they give me another couple of… pic.twitter.com/soCBAlJsjJ

— Fight Basics (@fightbasicz) May 24, 2026

In his absence, Alex Pereira and “Bon Gamin” will fight for the interim heavyweight title on June 14 at the White House, and if the Brit returns later this year, the soon-to-be-crowned interim heavyweight champion will meet him in a title unification bout.