Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn and former
Ultimate Fighting Championship champ Michael
Bisping have engaged in a war of words over the UFC’s pay
structure. With Hearn now working with heavyweight champion
Tom
Aspinall, his recent comments have drawn a reaction from
Bisping.
On June 24, 2026, during an appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, Hearn accused
Bisping of being too close to the UFC to fairly talk about fighter
pay.
“These are people that are on the payroll,” Hearn said, “These are
people who have been suppressed themselves, and these are people
who don’t have any backbone about them. Michael Bisping should be
ashamed of what is being proposed to Tom Aspinall to be in a fight
like Ciryl Gane
with that amount of money that is in the pot. He is a fighter. He
should stand up for what’s right for fighters.” He added, “So what
are you saying, Bisping? ‘Do as you’re told, shut up, take your
money. That’s all you’re worth?’” He proceeded to challenge Bisping
to debate.
Bisping has now responded to Hearn’s comments. Speaking on his
podcast, the commentator said that he did not know what Aspinall
was getting paid and called out Hearn for his comments.
Michael Bisping responds to Eddie Hearn over UFC fighter pay
comments
“He wants to have a debate? I’m not having a debate online, but I’m
very happy, next time I’m in London, to sit down face-to-face,
man-to-man, and have a conversation like that,” Bisping said.
“Eddie Hearn was talking s**t about me and about Felder too,
really, but he only named me,” he continued, “Why should I be
ashamed? I have no idea the money that Tom is getting paid. I’m not
a part of that. All I ever said, and I think anyone with half an
ounce of intelligence can see it, is that Eddie Hearn is muddying
the waters with something between him and Dana White and his
perceived war and beef that he has with Dana.”
Asserting that he did not mention a word about Aspinall’s
compensation and hoped that the fighter got more than his fair
share, Bisping added, “It’s absolute horse s**t what Eddie Hearn is
saying. And he wants to have a debate? Eddie, all you little s**ts
out there, I don’t want you to get it twisted: I care about
fighters. We care deeply about this sport, and this is why we are
commentators. There’s nothing wrong with that.”
Aspinall will look to unify the heavyweight titles when he returns
against Gane, but no official announcement has been made about the
title unification bout as yet.