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UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall says seeing Conor Benn secure a reported £11m one-fight deal with Zuffa Boxing helped to convince him to team up with Eddie Hearn.

Britain’s Aspinall joined Hearn’s ‘Matchroom Talent Agency’ on Thursday in a “commercial and advisory” deal rather than a promotional one, meaning the 32-year-old remains signed to the UFC.

The move – a bid by Aspinall to maximise his earnings outside of the UFC – has come two weeks after boxer Benn left Hearn’s promotional outfit Matchroom to join Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing.

Benn’s deal with UFC president White’s boxing promotion ruffled the feathers of several UFC fighters, including Aspinall, who earn significantly less than their boxing counterparts.

“I think if one guy gets $15m [£11m] and the other guy gets $15k [£11,000], that’s a big deal to make, which is part of the reason I want to explore other options,” said Aspinall during a news conference on Friday.

“I want to be a trailblazer for MMA fighters who can make a lot of money and be successful outside the octagon as well as inside.

“Publicly or privately, a lot of MMA fighters complain about the money we’re getting paid, but that’s the contract we all signed. I’ve accepted that and I want to make as much money outside the octagon as I possibly can.”

Hearn described himself as Aspinall’s “manager”, stressing that his role is to “build Tom commercially”.

Aspinall has ruled out boxing in the immediate future as he remains contracted to the UFC, which forbids fighters from competing in other combat sports without obtaining permission.

Hearn said: “Now’s about moving forward with Tom, building him commercially, growing his profile, building that relationship with brands and fans.

Hearn, 46, has been publicly feuding with White since the launch of Zuffa, but says his differences with the UFC president will not affect the relationship Aspinall has with him.

Aspinall has been dealing with eye problems since his title fight with Ciryl Gane last October had to be stopped because of repeated eye pokes.

He had double eye surgery in February and it is unclear when he will be able to return to action.

Aspinall became embroiled in the Matchroom-Zuffa Boxing feud when Hearn suggested White “humiliated” him by not backing the fighter after the eye controversy.

“If they make life difficult for Tom, what kind of organisation are they? They’re going to make life difficult because he’s signed with a manager?” said Hearn.

“Ultimately we’re going to be a lot easier to deal with than a lot of the managers he has to deal with, but Tom was in a position where he needed representation at a high level, respect, and a voice to be heard.”

Aspinall, whose eight wins in the UFC have all come via stoppage, has always had a small management team fronted by his father Andy, so partnering with Hearn represents a significant strategic shift.

As well as building Aspinall’s brand, Hearn’s role as manager is likely to involve securing better-paid fight contracts for the Briton, where he will have to negotiate with the UFC.

In Aspinall, Hearn says he sees “one of the greatest fighters in the UFC”, with an opportunity to grow his profile where he believes the MMA promotion has failed.

“How is this guy not an even bigger star? How does he not have the backing? How is he not respected in certain rooms in the way that he should be,” said Hearn.

Aspinall did not say when he would be fit to return after eye surgery, but added he is aiming to fight “as soon as possible”.

“Obviously it has to be done at the right time and these guys have come on board at the right time,” said Aspinall.

For the first time, two English clubs have reached March still in the hunt for the Quadruple – winning the Premier League, the FA Cup, the EFL Cup, and the Champions League.

They are the three most prized domestic trophies and Europe’s elite title.

Arsenal and Manchester City are the clubs capable of winning all four given they are jousting for the Premier League title, still in the FA Cup and Champions League, and meet in the EFL Cup final later this month.

The Gunners face League One side Mansfield in the FA Cup fifth round on Saturday, while City are away to Newcastle United.

Last week’s draw for the Champions League knockout stages means the Premier League’s top two can only meet in May’s final.

Winning all four has been done before.

Scottish giants Celtic swept all before them in 1966-67, culminating in a European Cup win over Inter Milan, and with a squad born within 30 miles of Celtic Park.

You might naturally be inclined to think the Treble winners of Manchester United in 1998-99 or Manchester City in 2022-23 have come closest to completing the Quadruple, and, in terms of trophies won, of course you’d be correct.

But both sides were knocked out of the League Cup at the quarter-final stage (United in December, City in January), meaning neither were fighting on all four fronts at the tail end of the season.

They remain the only English clubs to have done the Treble, although Liverpool did a version of sorts in 1983-84, winning Division One, the European Cup and the League Cup, while City delivered a domestic clean sweep in 2018-19.

Date-wise, Liverpool’s 2021-22 season is the closest an English club has come to the ultimate four-trophy haul.

The Reds had already secured the two domestic cups when they missed out on the league title by a solitary point on a dramatic final day on 22 May. Jurgen Klopp’s side went on to lose a tense Champions League final to Real Madrid six days later.

Chelsea were also in the running for four trophies that year.

But they were beaten on penalties in the League Cup final by Liverpool on 27 February. The Reds also beat the Blues in the FA Cup final on penalties.

Chelsea also went tantalisingly close in 2006-07, only to miss out on the two main prizes. Jose Mourinho’s title-holders lost a Champions League semi-final tie against Liverpool on penalties on 1 May.

The league became a mathematical impossibility the following week, with the trophy ending up at Manchester United.

Across the continent, the concept of a league cup is a rare one, meaning almost all of Europe’s dominant forces have never won the Quadruple as British and Irish fans would recognise it.

France scrapped the Coupe de la Ligue in 2020, Spain’s short-lived Copa de la Liga lasted only four seasons in the 1980s, Germany’s Ligapokal was abolished in 2007, while Italy has never even organised an equivalent.

Most European nations play a Community Shield-style ‘supercup’ as their season’s curtain raiser, although it feels generous to include one-off games like these – or the Uefa Super Cup – when speaking of a true quadruple.

A story that often goes under the radar is how their Glasgow rivals Rangers were just one win from the final of the inaugural, rebranded and restructured Champions League in 1992-93 – instead, they had to settle for a Scottish treble.

Ultimately, it was PSG who came closest to emulating the Lisbon Lions during the Covid-ravaged 2019-20 season.

Provided Arsenal and City both progress in the FA Cup on Saturday, that EFL Cup final at Wembley on 22 March will take on added significance as the campaign approaches what Sir Alex Ferguson famously called “squeaky bum time”.

Scotland midfielder Erin Cuthbert says being given the role of vice-captain before the World Cup qualifying campaign is “a great honour” and something she never expected in her career.

Scotland started their challenge for a place at the 2027 Women’s World Cup strongly after beating Luxembourg 5-0 on Tuesday night, where Cuthbert helped the squad to the win by registering two assists.

Cuthbert earned her 83rd international cap in Luxembourg, and reflected on head coach Melissa Andreatta’s decision to draw on that experience by naming her as the team’s vice-captain alongside new captain Caroline Weir.

“Playing for your country, never mind representing and being one of the big leaders in the team, is a great honour and one that I’m really excited by,” she said.

“Since I was a little girl, I wanted to play for Scotland, but never did I expect to play for Scotland 80-odd times as I have, and never mind being one of the leaders within the team.

Andreatta has only been in charge of the national team for seven games but Cuthbert has been impressed by the Australian and says her positive effect is already being felt by the squad.

“The gaffer’s a breath of fresh air, new energy, new focus,” she said. “She’s really instilled a real belief in us again that maybe we had missed in the last few years. But certainly I’m excited to play under her.”

Scotland last appeared at a major tournament in 2019 when they played at the Women’s World Cup in France and are aiming to take another step towards a return to the finals by defeating Luxembourg at Hampden on Saturday night (17:00 GMT), a game live on BBC Alba.

As a veteran of the 2019 campaign, Cuthbert hopes that the past experiences of the team can help them prepare for their current challenge.

“Everybody knows what it means to get to a World Cup being a Scotland player,” she said.

“But I think it’s important not to dwell too much because we’ve had good campaigns, bad campaigns. We want to now focus forward.

“We’ve got a new group here, a new manager, but of course I think it’s important to instil the highs and lows of a campaign.”

Cuthbert knows that the qualities the squad have developed over their previous campaigns will be key if the side want to reach the finals in Brazil next year.