The British UFC heavyweight champion expands his team outside the Octagon – while Eddie Hearn and Dana White face off in a promoter’s duel.
Reigning UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall has signed a consulting agreement with Eddie Hearn and his newly formed Matchroom Talent Agency. The agreement was officially announced on Thursday.
In a press release, the new project was described as follows: “Matchroom Talent Agency is Matchroom Sport’s new talent management brand, founded by Chairman Eddie Hearn to serve leading personalities in sport and entertainment. The aim is to support athletes with care and loyalty, to promote their careers, build their brands and strengthen their reputations.”
It continues: “The new subsidiary sits alongside Matchroom Sports global organizations such as Matchroom Boxing, the Professional Darts Corporation, World Snooker Tour and Matchroom MultiSport. Aspinall will continue to work closely with his existing media and management team, while the Matchroom Talent Agency will support him with other key services – from commercial partnerships, publishing and digital to broadcast and legal matters. Eddie Hearn is looking forward to officially launching this new Matchroom Sport venture with the Salford-born martial artist.”
Competition with Dana White
Matchroom Sports Chairman Eddie Hearn also explained: “I started my career in athlete management and have gained extensive experience in building global superstars over the past 30 years.” Aspinall’s signing comes at a time when Hearn is in open competition with Dana White, the President of the UFC. The background to this is the signing of Conor Benn by White for his new boxing promotion Zuffa Boxing. Aspinall is currently in the rehab phase following an eye injury. He suffered this in October in a fight against Ciryl Gane after an unintentional eye poke led to a no contest.