Overview
- Matchroom boss Eddie Hearn said on June 24 that Aspinall’s camp informed UFC officials through Andy Aspinall that the undisputed heavyweight champion is medically cleared and ready to fight, but formal negotiations are required before a bout is confirmed.
- Aspinall’s recovery followed the eye-poke no-contest at UFC 321 and included double eye surgery and an eyeball injection that kept him out of contact training for months.
- Ciryl Gane captured the interim heavyweight title on June 14 by stopping Alex Pereira, creating a clear unification path and prompting Gane to publicly call for a rematch in Paris in September, which Aspinall has said he would take.
- Hearn says Aspinall has earned seven-figure income outside the UFC since signing with Matchroom and will not fight on his existing UFC contract, so the team is pressing for restructured date and financial terms.
- The next step is talks between Matchroom/Aspinall and UFC executives to settle timing and purse; a new deal could set a precedent for how top fighters use outside earnings and management changes to renegotiate pay.