UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall has been announced as the first signing of the newly created Matchroom Talent Agency.
The signing was confirmed via press release and social media channels on Thursday. A press conference will be held on Friday in London to formally announce the partnership. According to the press release, Matchroom Talent Agency will reportedly “manage and service leading sport & entertainment talent with care and loyalty, nurturing athletes’ careers by managing their brand and building their reputations.” It is a subsidiary of Matchroom Sport.
Aspinall became interim UFC heavyweight champion following a first round knockout of Sergei Pavlovich in 2023. He was promoted to full titlist following the retirement of Jon Jones in 2025.
Tom Aspinall and Eddie Hearn reactions
“I’m really excited to welcome Eddie and the Matchroom Sport group in a commercial and advisory role, and to become the first athlete to join the new Matchroom Talent Agency,” said Aspinall in the press release. “Eddie has built one of the biggest brands in sport and understands how to take athletes to the next level, both inside and outside of competition. I’m really looking forward to working together and exploring some exciting opportunities as I continue my journey back into the cage.”
“I started my professional career in athlete management and over the past 30 years, I have built a wealth of experience in building global superstars,” said Hearn in the same press release. “We believe in partnership and transparency with our clients but, most importantly, always delivering exceptional and innovative work. Grounded in honesty and fierce commitment, Matchroom Talent Agency is about transforming careers through relentless ambition and telling it straight.”
“At the heart of everything we’ve done as a business over the last 40 years is identifying ordinary people, who have extraordinary talent. It has become a guiding principle to seek out people who are humble but heroic in equal measure. Their journey is our journey. Their triumph, our purpose. UFC world heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall is the perfect embodiment of that – and he is the ideal, inaugural member of our team.”
“We believe in creating opportunities where others see obstacles in turning potential into greatness. So, the message is loud and clear to all: Join us on this journey. We are officially open for business.”
What does this mean?
If you think this means that Aspinall will box anytime soon, hold your horses. The press release claims that he will remain with his current media and management team. Matchroom Talent Agency will simply support Aspinall “with further key services ranging from commercial, through to publishing, digital, broadcast and legal.”
The reigning UFC heavyweight champion has boxed once before. That fight ended in first round knockout back in 2017, well before he joined the UFC. Aspinall remains with the organization. Fight fans can expect him back in the cage once he fully recovers from an eye injury sustained against Ciryl Gane.