UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall is headed for disaster! At least, that’s what his former friend Michael Bisping feels. While appearing in his podcast, ‘The Count,’ drawing from his own experience of being “f—ed over by managers multiple times,” warned ‘The Honey Badger’ about working with English manager/promoter Eddie Hearn. 

“This is going to be mind-blowing,” Bisping said. “Sometimes managers have an ulterior motive, and they don’t necessarily have the fighters’ best interest at heart… And I’m not saying that about Eddie Hearn. I’m saying it’s possible. It is possible because he is beefing with Dana White. And as soon as that Conor Benn s–t happened, Eddie Hearn reached out to someone I know to get Tom’s number and signed him.”

It remains unclear exactly whom Eddie Hearn had to approach to secure Tom Aspinall’s signing, but his efforts ultimately paid off. In March, Hearn signed Aspinall as the first major client of Matchroom Talent, his newly launched talent management agency, in a deal covering commercial representation, management, and advisory services.

While allegations of Hearn mistreating or exploiting fighters have been relatively uncommon throughout his career, there have been a few notable controversies. Last year, Chris Eubank Jr. accused Hearn of preventing him from leaving in an ambulance following his first fight against Conor Benn. Earlier, in 2022, Jake Paul publicly alleged that Hearn had paid off judges in two separate boxing events.

Hearn responded aggressively to both accusations, which may become Bisping’s fate. In Eubank Jr.’s case, he filed a lawsuit, although there appears to have been no public resolution to the dispute so far. Against Paul, Hearn launched a $100 million defamation lawsuit, which was eventually settled out of court for an undisclosed amount.

Whether Michael Bisping could find himself facing similar legal action remains to be seen. However, one thing is certain: Hearn’s partnership with Aspinall came shortly after Dana White signed Conor Benn to Zuffa Boxing. The relationship between White and Hearn had already become increasingly strained following White’s entry into the boxing business.

At the time, Aspinall himself was not exactly on the best terms with the UFC president. Following Aspinall’s controversial eye injury against Ciryl Gane last year, White appeared to downplay the severity of the incident. Aspinall’s decision to work with Hearn also drew warnings from figures within the MMA community. 

Former UFC fighter Brad Pickett cautioned him against biting the hand that feeds him, while Sean O’Malley suggested that making enemies of the UFC was rarely a wise move. Aspinall’s tensions with the UFC, however, are only part of the story. Equally intriguing is Aspinall’s apparent falling out with Michael Bisping.

During a previous podcast appearance, Bisping discussed Aspinall’s eye injury and speculated on his timeline for a return. In the same conversation, he revealed that although the two were once close, they had not spoken for quite some time. Those comments eventually prompted a response from Hearn. 

And Hearn’s response may help explain why Bisping has since portrayed Hearn as someone operating with an ulterior motive.

Eddie Hearn brands Michael Bisping a “company man”

Eddie Hearn fired back at Michael Bisping after the former UFC middleweight champion questioned the lack of detail surrounding Tom Aspinall’s eye injury recovery. Bisping suggested Aspinall had been vague about his medical situation and argued that he returned to fighting sooner after undergoing a similar procedure.

Hearn was unimpressed by the criticism and defended Aspinall during a press conference for Katie Taylor’s upcoming event at Croke Park. The boxing promoter accused Bisping of being too closely aligned with the UFC.

“Let me tell you something about Michael Bisping. But he’s a total and utter company man, right? He’s on the payroll, and he should have more respect for Tom Aspinall. Listen, Michael is entitled to his opinion.”

Hearn also challenged Bisping to debate the issues live in front of fans.

“But what we should do is, [Michael Bisping and I] should have a live-streamed debate about it for the fans!”

Since signing Tom Aspinall, Eddie Hearn has been pushing for the UFC to improve Aspinall’s compensation. He has gone as far as to ask the UFC to release the heavyweight champion. Not to mention, Hearn also criticized the promotion for not inviting Aspinall to this weekend’s White House event, despite the possibility that the British heavyweight could face the winner of the upcoming fight between Alex Pereira and Ciryl Gane. 

While Michael Bisping can speculate as much as he likes about what Eddie Hearn’s intentions are, there’s no denying that he, at the end of the day, works for the UFC. So, it’s hard to overlook the obvious bias in his stance.