Overview
- Hearn publicly told Dana White on Friday, May 29 that the UFC should release heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall and that he would guarantee in writing a minimum of three times Aspinall’s current UFC pay.
- Aspinall signed with Hearn’s Matchroom Talent Agency in March and remains medically sidelined after double eye surgery from an October 2025 eye‑poke that left him not cleared to spar or fight.
- The UFC has moved to keep the heavyweight division active by booking an interim title fight between Alex Pereira and Ciryl Gane for June 14, with the winner positioned to face Aspinall when he returns.
- Multiple outlets and industry analysts say an outright release is unlikely because the UFC controls champion contracts and would lose commercial and title‑control leverage by letting its reigning champion go.
- The public offer raises short‑term stakes in the Hearn–White rivalry, could affect the Conor Benn legal dispute if Hearn follows through, and would materially change Aspinall’s earnings and career options if the UFC ever agrees to a release.