‘He wants me’ &#8211; Eddie Hearn teases imminent signing of UFC title contender after call for help

Jul 20, 2026 - 16:30

Eddie Hearn expects to join forces with UFC light heavyweight Paulo Costa in the near future.

The Matchroom Sport chairman has already signed two UFC stars, Tom Aspinall and Ian Machado Garry, to his newly launched talent agency, and Costa has made it clear he wants to come on board.

Eddie Hearn and Paulo Costa — Costa met with Hearn at Diego Pacheco vs Immanuwel Aleem in California over the weekend

Since he announced UFC heavyweight champion Aspinall as the first addition to his Matchroom Talent Agency roster, Hearn has said he’s been flooded with MMA fighters contacting him about signing up.

Notably, the boxing promoter has admitted several ‘big names’ have already reached out.

Hearn, of course, has been embroiled in a back-and-forth with UFC CEO Dana White for some time now.

He’s openly criticised White over his UFC fighter pay model and their feud has escalated ever since the American entered boxing last year with Turki Alalshikh and Zuffa.

Many in the combat sports world even viewed Hearn’s signing of Aspinall as a direct response to White bringing former Matchroom boxer Conor Benn to Zuffa Boxing.

Hearn and White are expected to engage in talks over the next few weeks, held by Saudi boxing chief and Zuffa Boxing co-owner Alalshikh, to make amends.

But that won’t stop Hearn from continuing on his quest to get the best for UFC fighters when it comes to their paychecks.

Costa’s tricky UFC contract situation

“[Costa] was one of the 10 or 12 [big names] who reached out to me,” Hearn explained to members of the media via Fight Hub TV.

“He contacted me recently and actually reached out to [esteemed journalist] Ariel Helwani to ask for my number.”

Costa was on The Ariel Helwani Show this month and voiced his frustrations at the UFC not offering him another fight with just one more left on his deal.

Paulo Costa of Brazil reacts after a knockout victory against Azamat Murzakanov of Russia in a light heavyweight fight during the UFC 327 event at Kaseya Center on April 11, 2026 in Miami, Florida — Costa is the UFC’s No. 4-ranked light heavyweight

The Brazilian, who broke the 16-fight undefeated streak of Azamat Murzakanov at UFC 327 in April on his light heavyweight debut, said he doesn’t think the promotion will make an offer until he signs a new, long-term deal.

This, of course, would not be ideal for Costa, who would then be stuck in a contract that could be paying him significantly less than if he explored his options elsewhere.

Hearn finds the No. 4-ranked UFC light heavyweight‘s situation fascinating and wants to help.

“[Costa] called me and he said, ‘I want your help,” Hearn continued.

“I’ve seen what you’ve been doing with Aspinall, I’ve seen what you’ve been doing with Ian Garry, I’ve seen what you’ve been saying about us and I want you to represent me.’

“I was like, again, like I could sign 12 UFC fighters tomorrow and just have the biggest management company in MMA, but that’s not really a direction we necessarily want to go in.

Chairman of Matchroom Boxing Eddie Hearn and Ian Machado during todays Matchroom Talent Agency Press Conference in, Dublin — Machado Garry joined Hearn’s talent agency last month

Tom Aspinall signing his contract sat next to Eddie Hearn — Aspinall was the first to link up with the boxing promoter

“Anyway, after I spoke with him, I started to understand and speak to other people about how big and how good this guy is and I liked him.

“He has one fight left on his UFC contract and it’s a really interesting time in his career.

“He made it clear that he wants me to be his guy and to represent him.

“I think there’s every chance I’m going to. We had a great meeting tonight. He flew [to California] to see me.

“Loved the night, the experience. He’s a very good standup individual who is in a really interesting contractual position.

“So there’s every chance you’ll see the collab with Eddie Hearn, Matchroom and Paulo Costa.”

UFC Schedule

There are still several blockbuster shows and exciting contests for fight fans to look forward to in 2026, and you can find the full list of all confirmed events and official bouts as part of talkSPORT.com’s UFC schedule.

The UFC, on average, puts on 13 to 14 premium events in a calendar year, with up to 30 smaller ‘Fight Night’ cards allowing prospects and less experienced fighters to showcase their talents.

On January 1, 2026, Dana White’s promotion signed a seven-year broadcast deal with CBS and Paramount+ for exclusive rights in the US, meaning the UFC has put on shows like never before this year.

With the historic first event in the new Paramount era, UFC 324, delivering huge success, and a one-of-a-kind fight card at the White House in June opening up the UFC to a new audience, the promotion remains a premium global sports brand, and fans are eager to keep track of results and upcoming fights.

Should Costa team up with Hearn, he would not only join Aspinall and Machado Garry, but also British rugby union stars Finn Russell and Henry Pollock.

After he defeated Murzakanov in April, ‘The Eraser’ laid out three paths for his next fight.

They were a rematch with current UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland for the title, a heavyweight contest against American Josh Hokit, or asking to be released from his contract to fight Mike Perry on Netflix at Jake Paul‘s Most Valuable Promotions.

Hearn will now likely help him make that next move.