The UFC is returning to England and will host a pay-per-view event this time. The huge excitement for UFC 304 is set to peak in July when it takes place in Manchester, England. Crowd favorite, Tom Aspinall is also excited to be a part of the co-main event of the PPV, however, it’s the time that bothers him.
UFC 304 is scheduled to take place in the early hours of the local time to cater to North American PPV buyers. While it’s his first PPV fight at home, Tom Aspinall is now confused about how to train with the new timings. The fighter has expressed that he still hasn’t figured out how he plans to create a schedule that will accommodate the early morning timings.
I f**** I don’t know. I have no idea. I don’t know what I’m doing at this point… I was thinking something like maybe I try and sleep at 9 p.m., wake up about 1, 2, just be awake for a couple of hours and then maybe work out at 5…..I don’t really know
Tom Aspinall via Submission Radio YouTube
Aspinall is already unhappy with his upcoming challenger, Curtis Blaydes as the fighter is not that popular. Initially, Aspinall wanted Jon Jones. However, the heavyweight champion is focused on his legacy fight with Stipe Miocic. As Jones now prepares to fight Miocic, Aspinall has accused him of ducking and slowing down the division.
After that, Aspinall was expected to fight Cyril Gane which didn’t go as planned due to the Frenchman’s upcoming movie shoot. On top of all this, now it’s the timing issue. According to Aspinall, he has taken this matter to Dana White and other UFC officials. However, it didn’t matter as the schedule cannot be changed now. While Aspinall might not have any answers to the question, the UFC 304 main event fighter does have it.
Leon Edwards reveals the reason behind the bizarre timings of UFC 304
Over the years, UFC has hosted various Fight Night events in England. These events were warmly welcomed by the local fight fans and the support was massive. This prompted the promotion to finally host a pay-per-view event in the country. However, the timings have created an outrage.
Leon Edwards talks about the outrageous timings of UFC 304 (via Imago)Talking about the situation, welterweight champion Leon Edwards revealed the real reason behind UFC 304 timings. According to the champion, it was the UFC’s blunder that they failed to correct ahead of the event.
I think they said the PPV was already booked for Utah, right? And then they … so the slot was already booked in, so when they changed it to Manchester they couldn’t change also the time with the TV station and that’s the reason why it’s staying on that time I think. It is what it is.
Leon Edwards via The MMA Hour
Leon Edwards will be the main event star of UFC 304 along with challenger Belal Muhammad. Going into the fight, Muhammad has great plans. However, the homegrown hero wants to keep his welterweight reign intact. While the UK fans are excited to see Edwards, only time will determine how the schedule will affect the event.
