Tom Aspinall signs contract with Eddie Hearn as new venture launched

UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall has signed an unprecedented deal with Eddie Hearn and Matchroom, just weeks after Conor Benn left the company for Dana White's Zuffa Boxing.

Last month, Benn left Eddie Hearn and Matchroom to join forces with Dana White and Zuffa Boxing, with the 29-year-old welterweight penning a one-fight agreement worth a reported $15 million.

Benn, who holds a professional record of 24-1, thanked Hearn and his team for “everything” they had done for him, but the latter was left "devastated" by the outcome, saying he “misjudged the character” of his former client.

"I blame myself because I just forgot it was boxing," Hearn told IFL TV, just hours after the news was announced. "I just felt that the loyalty that we've shown would never, ever put us in this position."

Two weeks after Benn's surprise departure and on Thursday evening, it was announced that UFC fighter Tom Aspinall had signed a commercial and advisory deal with Matchroom Talent Agency.

The agency has just been launched by chairman Eddie Hearn and will "manage and service leading talent with care and loyalty" while "nurturing athletes’ careers by managing their brand and building their reputations."

In short, Hearn and his team will be handling Aspinall's business dealings, both inside and outside of the octagon.

The Salford-fighter is officially the first member of the Matchroom Talent Agency.

Aspinall, meanwhile, will continue working closely with his existing media and management team as Matchroom Talent Agency supports him with "further key services ranging from commercial, through to publishing, digital, broadcast and legal".

“I’m really excited to welcome Eddie [Hearn] 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.

“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.”

Eddie Hearn has described Aspinall as "the ideal, inaugural member of our team", adding: “We believe in creating opportunities where others see obstacles in turning potential into greatness."

In a lengthy statement, the promoter stated how the agency believes in having "transparency" with their clients.

"Grounded in honesty and fierce commitment, Matchroom Talent Agency is about transforming careers through relentless ambition and telling it straight," he said.

“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," Hearn added. "Their triumph, our purpose. UFC world heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall is the perfect embodiment of that."