Tom Aspinall rips ‘Terrible’ start times for UFC 304 card in Manchester: ‘I think it’s just not fair on the fans’
Interim UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall says the start time for UFC 304 which is set to take place in Manchester, England is terrible for fans.
The UFC announced that UFC 304 would take place in Manchester, England on July 27. It was exciting news for UK fans that the promotion is heading back to the card, but the event will be catering to the US market as the pay-per-view start time will be 10 p.m. Eastern time, which means 3 a.m. local time.
Aspinall, who is expected to be on the card, took to social media to share his thoughts on the start time.
“As an athlete, as a fighter, it honestly doesn’t make that much difference,” Tom Aspinall said (via MMAMania). “For a couple of weeks before, I’ll have to wake up and train at that time or stay up or whatever. I’ve flown across the world multiple times and fought in different time zones, so it’s not as bad as that. As a fan who wants to watch it live? I think it’s absolutely terrible.
“I think it’s just not fair on the fans, not fair on the UK fans. Obviously predominantly it’s an American audience so I understand that, they want to sell to them. But why can’t they sell to them in the afternoon which is our evening time? Why can’t Americans watch it in the afternoon and the UK fans, the Manchester fans, the European fans can all fly to the event, sell out this new arena. It’s going to sell out regardless. We’re very lucky to have a PPV in Manchester. But it’s UK MMA, let’s put it on UK time,” Tom Aspinall continued.
The last time the UFC held a pay-per-view in the UK was when Leon Edwards was defending his welterweight title against Kamaru Usman. That card was held in primetime for England, but this time around, that won’t be the case.
Tom Aspinall Likely To Be On UFC 304, Opponent Not Known
Tom Aspinall does not have his next fight booked, but all signs point to the Brit defending his interim heavyweight title on the card.
Aspinall won the interim title back in November with a first-round knockout over Sergei Pavlovich. The Brit has called for a rematch with Curtis Blaydes, so that is a potential next opponent for him.
Aspinall and Blaydes fought back in July of 2022 when Aspinall blew out his knee just seconds into the fight.
