Aspinall has spurned numerous people in the past who sought an advisory or managerial role with him. He was also cautious of getting caught in the middle of any rift between Hearn and UFC president Dana White amid their ongoing rivalry after the latter signed Conor Benn to Zuffa Boxing last month.

Eventually, unlike many of his predecessors, Hearn broke through Aspinall’s guard, and the reigning UFC heavyweight champion became the first signee with Matchroom Talent Agency on Thursday.

“I literally showed up to the meeting thinking, ‘I don't really want to do this,’ because I don't want to be involved in some weird ‘d—k measuring between Eddie and Dana,” Aspinall told The Ring’s Louis Hart at a press conference in London on Friday. “I don't want to be involved in that. I'm not a drama kind of guy. I don't want to do that.

“But it isn't about that. This is a way too big an opportunity for both me and Matchroom to pass up on. It's massive. There's some stuff that those guys are bringing to the table that goes way beyond any of the drama that's going on now between Dana and Eddie and boxing and MMA. It goes way beyond that. It would be stupid for me to turn down what they offered.”

For Hearn, the signing of Aspinall is the start of a venture he’s long had in the works, and given his status as the UFC heavyweight champion, it was a no-brainer for the Matchroom Boxing CEO. Hearn also assured Aspinall he wouldn’t be on the wrong end of any rift between himself and White.

“When we had the first conversation, [he was] like, ‘What am I, a bit of a pawn here in the you and Dana war?’ You're not a pawn, but the magnification of the announcement, given the situation, will be great for all of us, would be great for the agency [and] will be great for you,” Hearn said. “If you look at the turnout today, his profile right now within 24 hours is bigger than it's ever been before.”

Aspinall is still signed with the UFC and maintains there aren’t any current plans for him to box, but didn’t rule out the possibility in the future.

The English heavyweight spoke highly of Hearn and his team’s pursuit of him and said that they “laid out the red carpet” for him, as they flew him out on a private jet to Monaco before reaching a deal.

“We just all got on really well, me and my small team, Eddie and Frank [Smith],” Aspinall said. “The values that they've got, the integrity that they've got within the company. On a personal level, we seem to get on a little bit as well, which is great. That's a massive plus for me.

“What they want to do with me going forward is just something that no other representative of athletes has ever come to me with before.”

Aspinall, 32, is recovering from multiple eye surgeries after his no-contest against Ciryl Gane on October 25. The fight was stopped late in the first round after Gane poked both of Aspinall’s eyes.

In the aftermath of the no-contest, Aspinall said he’s learned plenty on the business side of the UFC, and with that, his mindset has changed as he prepares to return to the octagon.

“I realized that I gotta do what's right for me, and I gotta make the biggest moves possible,” Aspinall said. “I'm after revenge, mate. I'm after getting as much money and beating up as many people as possible before my career is over ... I’ve got to be ruthless inside and outside the octagon. This is business. This is not something that I'm doing for fun anymore.“