After signing a UFC heavyweight champion, Eddie Hearn is already looking for the next big name for his new Matchroom Talent Agency. However, the name he really wants left the UFC a long time ago. The former UFC heavyweight champion, Francis Ngannou, was released from the PFL last week after three years in the promotion and just one fight. With the Cameroonian-French now a free agent, the Matchroom Boxing head has confirmed that Ngannou is his next goal.

“We’ll probably reach out to Francis,” Hearn told iFL TV. “I mean, I’ve had, I wouldn’t say a dozen, but I’ve had over half a dozen quite big-name UFC fighters contact me in the last 12 hours. And I’m not going to sign all of them, but they’re fascinated by this because they feel like they’re not getting what they deserve, and that will be the job of the agency to do that.

“We’re not even limited to sports. I want to work with extraordinary talents and make sure we give them the opportunities they deserve for the commitment that [they made].”

Notably, Francis Ngannou, who is currently managed by Marquel Martin, is now slated to face former UFC fighter Philipe Lins on the co-main event of Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano on Netflix, scheduled for Saturday, May 16, 2026, at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles. ‘The Predator’ left UFC back in January 2023 when he failed to reach a deal with the promotion for a renewal of his contract. He wanted greater freedom and better pay, but that didn’t happen, leading him to join PFL later. 

Meanwhile, if Eddie Hearn manages to sign Francis Ngannou as a client, this will further escalate his ongoing feud with Dana White. The UFC CEO recently entered the sport of boxing through his Zuffa Boxing league and has been clashing with several boxing promoters. His issue with Hearn escalated when he signed Matchroom’s Conor Benn last month for a $15 million fight against Regis Prograis on one of the Zuffa Boxing cards. 

Aspinall’s deal with Hearn came on the heels of the heavyweight champion’s clash with White. ‘The Honey Badger’ was poked in the eye during his fight against Ciryl Gane in October last year, which forced him to withdraw. This resulted in the fight being declared a no-contest. Dana White appeared to downplay Aspinall’s injury during the post-fight press conference. 

The heavyweight champion responded by claiming he was disappointed in White’s take. And he has since had two surgeries on his eyes, and his UFC return is currently up in the air. Regardless, while the UFC CEO hasn’t shared his thoughts on Hearn’s attempt to sign Ngannou, he did respond to reports of Tom Aspinall’s signing with Matchroom Talent Agency.

Dana White is indifferent to Tom Aspinall signing with Eddie Hearn

After hearing about Tom Aspinall’s deal with Hearn’s new agency ahead of UFC 326, White made it clear the move does not create any tension between him and Hearn.

“We don’t have any issues with Eddie,” White said. “They can get whoever they want to represent them.

“Tito Ortiz used to represent people, but we got it done.”

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Notably, Aspinall has two fights left with the promotion. And his connection to Hearn could potentially mean he may transition into boxing down the line. If that happens, UFC’s already depleted heavyweight scene would lose the only big name it has left. 

That being said, there’s plenty the UFC could do to make Aspinall’s remaining time in the promotion difficult. But as far as Ngannou is concerned, do you think Hearn will be able to sign him?