Tom Aspinall risks sitting out his peak years over Eddie Hearn contract standoff with UFC

Tom Aspinall, who turned 33 and holds the UFC heavyweight title with no successful defenses, faces a difficult outlook as his manager Eddie Hearn's public confrontational stance toward the UFC appears to be working against the fighter's interests. With his contract set to run for at least another two years and the UFC unlikely to grant a one-off boxing crossover or agree to a pay increase under public pressure, the most probable outcome is a prolonged period of inactivity during Aspinall's prime fighting years. Aspinall also continues to deal with an eye injury that has further damaged his public profile.