Dana White Denies Aspinall Beef, Tells Eddie Hearn to Fix His Business

Tom Aspinall handed back the UFC heavyweight crown this week after re-aggravating the eye injuries that first surfaced in his championship clash with Ciryl Gane, and Dana White wants to shut down the idea that any of this is personal. Speaking after UFC 331 on Saturday, White insisted there's zero animosity between him and the departed champ, calling the suggestion the furthest thing from the truth.

The vacancy tidied itself up quickly. Gane, who claimed an interim belt by stopping Alex Pereira at UFC White House, has been bumped to undisputed champion and now defends against Josh Hokit in the UFC 334 main event on Nov. 14. Pereira, who sits at 13-4 with 11 knockouts and now #3 at light heavyweight, exits that heavyweight cameo on the back of a second-round TKO loss.

White's warmth toward Aspinall did not extend far. He conceded his October comments about the injury may have landed poorly and fueled the beef narrative, but he made the point that he doesn't hide his dislike when he actually feels it. He'd say it to your face, was the gist. Aspinall, in White's telling, has never given him a reason to feel that way.

The Real Target

The venom was reserved for Eddie Hearn. Aspinall recently signed a management deal with Hearn's Matchroom, largely to steer his career through this uncertain layoff, and White treated that as a punchline rather than a problem. He claimed the UFC office cracks up laughing every time a fighter signs with Hearn, and invited anyone else who wants to do the same to fire away.

White then went further, questioning what Hearn has actually delivered for Aspinall as his first signing and suggesting Hearn should be advising himself given the state of his boxing operation. He said Hearn is drowning trying to save his business and hasn't been on speaking terms with him lately.

There's history baked into all of this. The two promoters keep raiding each other's rosters: White pulled longtime Matchroom man Conor Benn into Zuffa Boxing, while Hearn scooped up Aspinall and former UFC fighter Michael Page. They've also sniped over the still-unconfirmed Tyson Fury–Anthony Joshua fight, with Joshua fresh off a sixth-round knockout of Jake Paul and now 29-4 with 26 stoppages.

For all the noise, the sporting reality is simple. Aspinall is out with medical clearance pending, Gane is the undisputed champ heading into November, and the heavyweight picture rolls on without him. Whether Hearn's involvement changes anything for Aspinall's comeback is the open question White keeps needling — even if he says he doesn't care about the answer.