Curtis Blaydes expresses dismay at fight time for UFC 304 title clash: "You wouldn't have McGregor fight at 4 a.m." 

Curtis Blaydes recently expressed his disappointment with the timing of his fight at UFC 304. Blaydes is set to challenge former rival Tom Aspinall for the interim heavyweight title in the co-headliner of the eighth pay-per-view event of 2024.

The date of UFC 304 is set for July 27 at Manchester, England's Co-op Live venue. The event broadcast, which is mostly intended for North American fans, will start at approximately 10 p.m. ET. Therefore, both fighters will make their way into the octagon in the middle of the night or very early in the morning next day.

During the UFC Denver media scrum, Blaydes voiced his disapproval of the scheduled start time by saying:

''The biggest difference is it’s gonna be like 4 a.m., and that’s what doesn’t really feel like a real title fight. You wouldn’t have McGregor fight at 4 a.m. regardless of where it is in the world. That makes it feel a little less, but I don’t care. I’m getting the title fight purse money. That’s all that matters. If I’m tired five minutes before they call my name, I guess that’s on me. If you can’t get up for a title fight, you don’t deserve it. That’s my preparation.”

Check out Curtis Blaydes' comments below (1:19):

Blaydes' opponent, Aspinall also addressed the awkward walkout time that was set for UFC 304. The British fighter disclosed in an interview with Submission Radio that the promotion turned down his request to change the broadcast schedule.

''No apologies. I don’t expect an apology either, and this is the UFC we’re dealing with. I just kind of put the feelers out there a little bit to see, like, this is a bit of a sh*tter for me and the other fighters and the UK fans who want to come to watch it live." [H/t: MMA Fighting]

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Curtis Blaydes criticizes UFC for refusing Tom Aspinall's fight with Jon Jones

Curtis Blaydes has criticized the UFC for prioritizing legacy fights above current contenders in their division. In the aforementioned interview, Blaydes supports the clash between Tom Aspinall and Jon Jones, which is being delayed for a legacy bout.

"Honestly, in a perfect world, it should be Aspinall vs. Jon. But that's not the world we live in. The UFC's had a lot of weird wonky matchups over the years." [0:30 onwards in the above video]

Blaydes supported his point by citing Michael Bisping's rematch with Dan Henderson at UFC 204, despite other contenders vying for the undisputed title.