Dana White denies Aspinall rift and dismisses Eddie Hearn as 'drowning' in his own business

Dana White used Saturday’s UFC 331 post-fight press conference to publicly clear the air with Tom Aspinall and dismiss Eddie Hearn as a serious rival, insisting the two storylines are connected only by perception, not reality.

Aspinall vacated the UFC heavyweight title earlier this week after re-aggravating eye injuries sustained in his championship bout against Ciryl Gane. With the belt now vacant, Gane was elevated to undisputed champion following his interim-title victory over Alex Pereira at UFC White House, and is set to defend against Josh Hokit in the main event of UFC 334 on 14 November.

White had drawn scrutiny for remarks made when Aspinall was first injured last October, comments widely read as unsympathetic. On Saturday he pushed back firmly against the idea that any personal animosity exists between them.

“I don’t like Tom, no that’s not the case,” White told reporters. “It’s the furthest thing from the truth. This guy knows he’s injured, he’s going through stuff with the doctor, he knows it’s going to be a while before he comes back. This is totally normal. I have no reason to not like Tom. Tom’s never done anything for me not to like him.”

White added that his track record speaks for itself on the matter. “If I don’t like somebody, I’m pretty f*cking honest about it,” he said. “I promise you this, if I did not like Tom, I would say it.”

Aspinall signed a management deal with Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom organisation during his time on the sidelines, a move White treated with open amusement rather than concern. The UFC president and Hearn have been trading public barbs for months, most recently over the still-unannounced Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua boxing match. The rivalry has also played out in concrete business moves: White signed longtime Matchroom Boxing star Conor Benn to his Zuffa Boxing promotion, while Hearn added both Aspinall and former UFC fighter Michael Page to his management roster.

White was dismissive of Hearn’s growing footprint in MMA management. “What has Eddie Hearn done for Tom Aspinall, the first guy to sign for him?” he said. “Does he have, like, an unbelievable amount of sponsors now? Eddie Hearn’s fcking drowning trying to save his fcking business right now.”

Despite the pointed language, White framed his comments as indifference rather than aggression, saying fighters are free to sign with whoever they choose and that the UFC’s position remains unaffected by Hearn’s manoeuvring.