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Dana White has laughed off UFC athletes working with Eddie Hearn, while former UFC flyweight Muhammad Mokaev has fired back with a pointed message: “Deal with the fighters directly then.” The latest jab arrives as Hearn’s split from Conor Benn opens a strange new chapter in the Benn-Chris Eubank Jr. rivalry.

Dana White insisted there is no personal problem with Tom Aspinall after the former UFC heavyweight champion entered an advisory agreement with Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom operation. Aspinall is currently recovering from injury and vacated the heavyweight title on September 14, but White said his medical absence and the management move should not be confused with any conflict between them.

Dana White Laughs at Eddie Hearn Fighter Deals as UFC Star Fires Back

At the UFC 331 post-fight press conference in Los Angeles, White said he would say it plainly if he disliked Aspinall. He then delivered the line that has quickly travelled around combat-sports circles: “When guys sign with Eddie Hearn, we fcking crack up laughing. It’s hilarious. Anybody else who wants to sign with Eddie Hearn as their fcking manager, fire away.”

White’s point was directed at Hearn’s role rather than Aspinall himself. The UFC chief said fighters can choose their own representation, then questioned what tangible impact Hearn had made for Aspinall since their agreement began. Hearn’s involvement is an unusual crossover: Matchroom is a major boxing promotional company, while Aspinall remains tied to the UFC as an MMA fighter.

Muhammad Mokaev Responds

Muhammad Mokaev, the unbeaten former UFC flyweight, did not let White’s line sit untouched. Replying online, Mokaev wrote: “Deal with the fighters directly then.”

It is a short response, but it targets a long-running complaint from fighters across combat sports: the power imbalance in negotiations. White has frequently been criticised by athletes and observers over UFC pay and the company’s control of matchmaking, though Mokaev did not expand on his comment in the post.

His reply turned White’s joke about management into a debate over why fighters seek outside representation in the first place. The timing is notable. Athletes often hire managers to negotiate sponsorships, commercial opportunities and contracts, especially when they are dealing with a major promotion. Aspinall’s arrangement with Hearn may create headlines, yet it does not change the UFC’s role as the promoter of his fights.

Hearn’s Benn fallout

Across boxing, Hearn has been processing an even more personal split. Conor Benn has departed Hearn’s Matchroom setup to join Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing project, a decision Hearn described as a betrayal. The promoter said he felt Benn and his team had “stabbed me in the back,” a sharp end to a relationship that produced several of Benn’s biggest events.

Hearn has since floated an unexpected idea: working with Chris Eubank Jr., Benn’s rival, if their rivalry reaches a third fight. Benn and Eubank fought twice at middleweight under a 10-pound morning rehydration clause. Hearn has acknowledged that the structure was designed to favour Benn against the naturally larger Eubank.

“If Conor fought him at 168, with no rehydration clause, could he beat Eubank? I don’t know,” Hearn said. He stressed that a deal with Eubank is not imminent, but said a potential trilogy would be contested at super-middleweight, 168 pounds, with a fairer framework.

Hearn’s growing presence around MMA names remains a source of jokes according to Dana White. For Mokaev, it is evidence that fighters need people in their corner when negotiating with major promotions. And for Hearn, the possible Eubank-Benn trilogy offers a chance to turn an ugly breakup into a major British boxing event.