UFC interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall is looking out for the English fans.
Aspinall said earlier this week he contacted the UFC to see if the promotion would move up the start time for UFC 304, which is scheduled for July 27 in Manchester, England. The pay-per-view event will start at 11 p.m. local time and last well into Sunday morning in order to cater to the North American fan base.
Aspinall said his attempt to give fans who plan to attend the event a more reasonable start time was a bust.
"I tried to ask the UFC brass, 'Can we change the times?'" Aspinall told The Mac Life's Oscar Willis. "It didn't go down well. They were just like, 'Nope.' There weren't even any negotiations."
Aspinall is scheduled to defend his interim heavyweight title for the first time against Curtis Blaydes in the UFC 304 co-main event at the Co-op Live. Welterweight champion Leon Edwards, of Birmingham, England, will headline the event against Belal Muhammad.
Aspinall, who initially spoke out against the late start time in April, reiterated that it's "a bit shit for the U.K. fans."
The UFC's last event in Manchester - UFC 204 in 2016 - also took place overnight. However, the promotion held its most recent U.K. pay-per-view - last year's UFC 286 in London - during an earlier time slot.
