Eddie Hearn signs second UFC star in major blow to Dana White

Eddie Hearn has announced that he has signed a second UFC fighter to his Matchroom Talent Agency, in a major blow to Dana White.

Following White-backed Zuffa Boxing effectively poaching Conor Benn, who had previously worked with Hearn for a decade, the Matchroom Boxing and UFC chiefs have been at loggerheads.

Having already become embroiled in a war of words during various interviews, Hearn dealt White a blow when he signed current UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall to his newly created talent agency back in March 2026.

While Aspinall is still signed to fight in the UFC, the Matchroom Talent Agency manages his brand and reputation, as well as overseeing commercial and business decisions outside the Octagon.

Hearn had earlier claimed that White had humiliated Aspinall in the aftermath of his fight against Ciryl Gane, which was ruled a no contest after the Englishman was unable to continue due to eye pokes from his opponent.

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"Tom Aspinall literally had his eye gouged out in a fight, and Dana White basically called him a cry-baby and cast him aside, humiliating him in front of everybody while the guy was having operations to save his eyesight," Hearn said.

He added: "I've said it before: these guys are very, very powerful, ruthless people. They don't care about the sport of boxing.

"In my opinion, they don't care about the fighters – it's just a business to them."

And while White publicly insisted that he had no problem with Hearn involving himself with UFC stars, the British promoter's presence around White's fighters is far from ideal for the American.

Hearn announces UFC star signing

Now, Hearn has announced that he has added a second UFC fighter to his talent agency, with Ian Machado Garry teaming up with Matchroom.

Garry is set to challenge Islam Makhachev for the UFC welterweight title at UFC 330 on August 15.

Speaking about the collaboration during an interview with Ariel Helwani, Hearn explained: "We won't be having dealings with the UFC regarding Ian Garry. That contract is set; he's got his fight coming up. It's very different to the Tom Aspinall scenario.

"I didn't feel this was a sort of confrontational signing. I look at Ian Garry as a potential superstar of sport. This isn't about us having meetings with the UFC. He's got his own team of people who do that side."

Hearn also slammed Zuffa Boxing's recent events before claiming White worked for Saudi boxing chief Turki Alalshikh.

"The boxing product has been awful," he added.

"You keep saying, 'Judge me on what we're doing.' Well, I'm judging you on what you're doing, and it's very low-level. Ultimately, it's not Dana's company. Dana works for Turki Alalshikh, who's the biggest shareholder... How long will that funding carry from those guys, and how long will you be up for the battle?"