Eddie Hearn has taken Michael Bisping to task over his take on Tom Aspinall’s current gripes with the UFC brass.
Aspinall hasn’t competed since his no contest against Ciryl Gane back in Oct. 2025. The UFC Heavyweight Champion was poked in both eyes and he couldn’t continue. Aspinall underwent double eye surgery to correct the issue, and he’s ready to return to the Octagon. At the moment, Aspinall and UFC are at odds which has led to the heavyweight titleholder signing a talent agency deal with Hearn’s Matchroom.
Along with being unhappy about Dana White seemingly dismissing the severity of his eye injury, Aspinall is also seeking an increase in pay. Recently, UFC color commentator Michael Bisping questioned Aspinall’s long wait for a return to the Octagon, and he even criticized the partnership with Matchroom.
Hearn fired back at Bisping during an appearance on “The Ariel Helwani Show,” and he put the UFC Hall of Famer on blast for taking an anti-fighter stance (h/t MMAJunkie).
“These are people that are on the payroll,” Hearn said. “These are people that have been suppressed, themselves, and these are people that don’t have any backbone about them. Michael Bisping should be ashamed of what is being proposed to Tom Aspinall to be in a fight like Ciryl Gane with that amount of money that is in the pot. He is a fighter. He should stand up for what’s right for fighters.”
Hearn then called into question Bisping’s sincerity given that he has a close working relationship with the top MMA promotion.
“I keep saying to Bisping, ‘Sit down with me, live, and we’ll have a debate about it,’ and he’ll never do it because he knows he can’t say certain things. But he’s a fighter. He should be standing up for the best interests of the fighter, not allowing fighters to be suppressed and bullied and told what to do or what to accept.”
Aspinall figures to be set for a title unification bout with Gane, who recently captured the interim heavyweight gold. Gane stopped Alex Pereira via second-round TKO in the UFC Freedom 250 main event on the White House lawn. The issue is now whether or not Aspinall and UFC can reach an understanding.
Do you think Tom Aspinall’s deal with Matchroom Talent Agency will pay off, or will it backfire? Share your opinion in the comments below.
