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Eddie Hearn is not happy with Michael Bisping's recent comments about UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall.
Bisping wondered what's taking Aspinall so long to recover from his eye injury which he suffered in his no contest against Ciryl Gane at UFC 321 this past October. Aspinall (15-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC) was poked in the eyes by Gane in Round 1, which resulted in him having to undergo double eye surgery.
Bisping also questioned the timing of Hearn signing Aspinall to his agency, and if he may have had ulterior motive due to his beef with UFC CEO Dana White. Hearn took major issue with Bisping's comments.
"These are people that are on the payroll," Hearn said on "The Ariel Helwani Show." "These are people that have been suppressed, themselves, and these are people that 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.
"So what are you saying, Bisping? 'Do as you're told, shut up, take your money. That's all you're worth. There's $60 million in the pot. Be quiet. You're getting three percent of the pot.' You're the fighter. You're putting your health on the line, you're the talent, you're the reason this organization is what it is, and Bisping should be ashamed of himself for that. I keep saying to Bisping, 'Sit down with me, live, and we'll have a debate about it,' and he'll never do it because he knows he can't say certain things. But he's a fighter. He should be standing up for the best interests of the fighter, not allowing fighters to be suppressed and bullied and told what to do or what to accept."
Hearn confirmed that Aspinall has been cleared to compete again and unify his belt with Gane, who claimed the interim belt by finishing Alex Pereira at UFC Freedom 250 – but there could be a different kind of delay.
"We've reached out to the UFC and we've told them," Hearn said. "Andy Aspinall, who's got that relationship with Hunter (Campbell) and those guys, 'Tom is ready.' There's going to be a conversation coming up about date and numbers. We're not coming in there to cause a big argument.
"What we're coming in to say is that there's a huge amount of money in the fight between Ciryl Gane and Tom Aspinall. Contractually, the numbers are completely unfair in terms of the value that Tom Aspinall brings into that fight. What we're asking for is just to be respected."
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Eddie Hearn: Bisping 'should be ashamed' for questioning Tom Aspinall
Continue reading...
Bisping wondered what's taking Aspinall so long to recover from his eye injury which he suffered in his no contest against Ciryl Gane at UFC 321 this past October. Aspinall (15-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC) was poked in the eyes by Gane in Round 1, which resulted in him having to undergo double eye surgery.
Bisping also questioned the timing of Hearn signing Aspinall to his agency, and if he may have had ulterior motive due to his beef with UFC CEO Dana White. Hearn took major issue with Bisping's comments.
"These are people that are on the payroll," Hearn said on "The Ariel Helwani Show." "These are people that have been suppressed, themselves, and these are people that 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.
"So what are you saying, Bisping? 'Do as you're told, shut up, take your money. That's all you're worth. There's $60 million in the pot. Be quiet. You're getting three percent of the pot.' You're the fighter. You're putting your health on the line, you're the talent, you're the reason this organization is what it is, and Bisping should be ashamed of himself for that. I keep saying to Bisping, 'Sit down with me, live, and we'll have a debate about it,' and he'll never do it because he knows he can't say certain things. But he's a fighter. He should be standing up for the best interests of the fighter, not allowing fighters to be suppressed and bullied and told what to do or what to accept."
Hearn confirmed that Aspinall has been cleared to compete again and unify his belt with Gane, who claimed the interim belt by finishing Alex Pereira at UFC Freedom 250 – but there could be a different kind of delay.
"We've reached out to the UFC and we've told them," Hearn said. "Andy Aspinall, who's got that relationship with Hunter (Campbell) and those guys, 'Tom is ready.' There's going to be a conversation coming up about date and numbers. We're not coming in there to cause a big argument.
"What we're coming in to say is that there's a huge amount of money in the fight between Ciryl Gane and Tom Aspinall. Contractually, the numbers are completely unfair in terms of the value that Tom Aspinall brings into that fight. What we're asking for is just to be respected."
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Eddie Hearn: Bisping 'should be ashamed' for questioning Tom Aspinall
Continue reading...
