Eddie Hearn shocked by Tom Aspinall UFC pay, claims he could earn 10 times more

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Eddie Hearn believes UFC heavyweight star Tom Aspinall is not being paid what he deserves.

The boxing promoter recently appeared in a video on Aspinall’s YouTube channel, where the pair discussed the financial realities of fighting in the UFC.

Hearn’s comments also add another chapter to his long-running rivalry with UFC president Dana White, since the latter joined the boxing market, launching Zuffa Boxing.

Eddie Hearn says Tom Aspinall is underpaid by the UFC

In a Matchroom Talent Agency backstage conversation, Hearn revealed that he was shocked when he first saw the purses Aspinall has received during his UFC career.

“When I talked through Tom Aspinall’s purses, I nearly fell off the f—— chair,” the Briton said.

The promoter argued that fighters with Aspinall’s popularity and ability would generate significantly larger earnings in boxing.

He added: “Do you know what I mean? Because I know that if that was our business, it’d be making 10 times as much money. His return is going to be massive when it comes.”

Hearn also suggested the UFC depends on stars like Aspinall to keep the heavyweight division attractive to fans.

“And as an organisation, they need him. Forget he needs the UFC, he actually don’t need the UFC now. But they need him, because they need heavyweight stars, and he’s a young man that goes in there and f—— entertains.”

TKO president weighs in on fighter’s pay debate

Debate around fighter pay has followed the UFC for years, with athletes and analysts frequently arguing that competitors receive a relatively small share of the company’s overall revenue.

TKO Group Holdings president Mark Shapiro recently addressed the topic during the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media and Telecom Conference.

“As it relates to fighter pay or superstar pay on the WWE side, our margins last year on adjusted EBITA (earnings before interest, taxes and amortization) (at) 33.5 percent,” he stated, according to Bloody Elbow.

“We’ve announced at the mid-point of our guidance we’re going to be roughly 39.6 percent so 40 percent and that margin is inclusive of increase in fighter and superstar pay and we take that very seriously.

“Right out of the gate… Dana White doubled the performance bonuses for fighters. We’re talking eight figures. One by one, we’ll be looking at this… But whatever increases we have – and we will have increases – they are inclusive of the margin guidance we have targeted.”