British UFC fans were more than pleased to hear that the MMA giant was returning to Manchester for a numbered event in June. They were less than pleased to learn about the start time.
As it currently stands, UFC 304 will adhere to US PPV times, meaning fans live in attendance at the Coop Live Arena will watch the earliest prelim at 11 pm, and stay up until roughly 6 am Sunday morning to catch the main event.
UFC 304 is rumored to contain two British champions, and at least one of them has voiced his disappointment in the UFC's decision. Speaking on his YouTube channel on April 28, interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall called it "absolutely terrible" for the fans:
"As an athlete, as a fighter, in all honesty does it make that much difference? ... I've flown across the world multiple times - fought on different time zones so it's not as bad as that," Aspinall revealed. "As a fan who wants to watch it [UFC 304] live, I think it is absolutely terrible. Yeah, it's just not fair on the fans. .... Why can't they sell to them [the American audience] in the afternoon which is our evening time?"
History repeats itself in Manchester, as the last PPV to grace the city also followed the same schedule. UFC 204 saw Michael Bisping defend his middleweight title against Dan Henderson, and it started at 11 pm. Despite this, ticket demand was incredibly high and the venue sold out in minutes.
UFC 304 tickets won't go on sale until June 5, so we'll have to wait and see if the public outcry correlates with the ticket sales.
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