Alex Pereira and Ciryl Gane are fighting as co-main event at UFC Freedom 250. However, the division’s true champion, Tom Aspinall, remains on the sidelines, in fact he was not even invited to the event.
Aspinall is currently recovering from a severe eye injury suffered against Gane. But his return to action might be blocked by his new manager, boxing powerhouse Eddie Hearn.
Hearn, who has a notorious rivalry with UFC CEO Dana White, is drawing a line in the sand regarding Aspinall’s compensation.
He openly declared that he will block the champion from returning under his current contract terms.
“I won’t let him do it”
The Matchroom Boxing kingpin made his stance clear during a recent press conference, targeting the revenue split between the promotion and its premier athletes.
“There is a monumental change for the swing of the business. They’ve got to be careful.
“At the end of the day, I’m not going to let Tom Aspinall fight for the kind of money that’s in his contract, to be involved in a fight against Pereira or Gane for literally one fiftieth of the revenue of that show.
“F*ck that! I won’t let him do it. And he’s not going to.”
For Hearn, the issue is a fundamental lack of parity between what elite MMA fighters take home compared to their boxing counterparts.
“It’s time those UFC fighters stop being mugs and start to understand that these people are taking advantage of them.“
“They deserve better. They don’t mind paying these fighters all this money, but they won’t do it for the UFC fighters.”
“My advice for Tom Aspinall would be ‘don’t you dare take that fight for the money that’s in your contract.‘”
“You are one of the biggest stars in UFC. That fight against Pereira or Gane is one of the biggest fights that the UFC can make.”
“UFC fans, everybody will be sick to their stomach about the money Tom Aspinall is supposed to get for that fight, for the revenue that exists for that fight. It’s not fair.”
Earlier, Hearn even offered to trade Aspinall for boxer Conor Ben.
Bisping and Paul Felder Weigh In
On a recent episode of the Believe You Me podcast, Michael Bisping and Paul Felder questioned the timeline and transparency of Aspinall’s recovery.
Felder hinted that the champion might be letting a big ego dictate his career choices, noting that Aspinall hasn’t fought consistently over the last few years.
Bisping, a former champion who famously fought through a catastrophic eye injury of his own, expressed deep skepticism over Aspinall’s lack of communication regarding his medical progress.
Bisping went on to compare his own recovery timeline from a scleral buckle procedure, noting that he returned to active competition much faster than Aspinall has following the Gane foul.
“I had a surgery, it was a very serious surgery called a scleral buckle, it’s gross what they do to the eyeball.“
” I had that surgery, recovered, came back, and had a fight in a shorter amount of time than it’s taken this whole eye poke saga. Maybe, you look between the lines, there’s something fucking weird going on.”
Eddie Hearn Calls Bisping a “Company Man”
Hearn fired back immediately at the commentary desk, taking direct aim at Bisping. The boxing promoter accused the UFC Hall of Famer of prioritizing his corporate employer’s payroll over fighter solidarity.
“Total and utterly company man, right?”
“He’s on the payroll and you know I think he should have more respect for Tom Aspinall.”
The promoter emphasized that Aspinall is taking the ultimate physical risk for a fraction of what he is truly worth, using the severity of the champion’s eye surgeries to justify sitting out.
Could This Be Another Jon Jones Situation?
The current trajectory draws eerie parallels to Jon Jones’ infamous multi-year contract standoffs with the UFC. Jones historically benched himself for three years during a financial dispute before making his heavyweight debut.
If Aspinall, under Hearn’s guidance, refuses to accept the bouts offered to him under his existing contract, the division risks grinding to a halt.
Furthermore, fans and analysts are speculating that Hearn may have an alternative motive. By getting Aspinall out of the UFC, Hearn could be attempting to maneuver the heavyweight into a mega-fight against Francis Ngannou or even a cross-sport boxing match.
How Long Before Aspinall Gets Stripped?
Ultimately, the UFC holds immense leverage in this scenario. With Pereira and Gane fighting for an interim belt, the promotional machinery can keep moving forward without the undisputed champion.
Aspinall has been out of action since October, and the sport moves incredibly fast. He seems willing to face either Pereira or Gane. Still, if recovery—or his contract standoff—stretches past the one-year mark this coming October, it does not look good. After all, the UFC has historically shown no hesitation in stripping inactive champions.
If Alex Pereira defeats Ciryl Gane to capture the interim strap, the UFC could easily elevate “Poatan” to undisputed status. This would strip Aspinall of his leverage entirely and kill the immense momentum he built up over the past few years.
The fact that Tom Aspinall has not been invited to the White House to have a staredown with the winner, seems to confirm this scenario.