Tom Aspinall is excited to compete later this year at UFC 304.
What the interim heavyweight champion is not excited about is the start time for the main card.
Aspinall, who is expected to defend his belt from Manchester, England on July 27, has called out his bosses for their decision.
Related: VIDEO: Jon Jones And Tom Aspinall Have Tension Filled But Respectful First Encounter
“As a fan who wants to watch it live, I think it is absolutely terrible,” Aspinall said (thanks to MMA Fighting for the quotes). “I think it’s just not fair on the fans, not fain on the U.K. fans.”
Aspinall admits that as a fighter, “it doesn’t make that much difference.”
“Probably for a couple weeks before I’ll have to wake up and train at that time,” he said. “Or stay up or whatever. I’ve flown across the world multiple times and fought on different time zones. It’s not as bad as that.”
So far, Aspinall does not have an opponent for the event, which will be held at Co-op Live. It marks the first UFC event in England since UFC 204 in October 2016 and the fifth overall in Manchester.
The only official bout is Nathaniel Wood vs. Daniel Pineda in a featherweight affair.
Tom Aspinall Asks All The Right Questions
Aspinall mentions that the event is going to sell out regardless of when it starts.
“We’re very, very, very, very lucky to have a pay-per-view event in Manchester,” he said. “Very lucky. But U.K. MMA, let’s put it on U.K. time.
“I understand that they want to sell (the card to the U.S.). But why can’t they sell to them in the afternoon?”
If that was the case, it would align with the traditional start time in the United Kingdom at night.
