Micheal Bisping didn’t have an issue with fighting in the early hours of the morning.
Famously, ‘The Count’ packed out an arena in Manchester, England, for his first middleweight title defense against Dan Henderson, the man who brutally knocked him out seven years earlier, at UFC 204 in October 2016.
To make the card viable for the US pay-per-view market, the main event took place at 5am local time, but that didn’t stop Michael Bisping from surviving two early knockdowns to retain his title.
In July 2024, Leon Edwards found himself in the same postion of having to defend his belt in the early hours of the morning – but he couldn’t overcome the unsual start time and Belal Muhammad took his welterweights strap with a lopsided decision win at UFC 304.
Michael Bisping disagrees with Leon Edwards on 5am fights
Since losing his belt, Edwards has repeatedly mentioned the time of his fight with Muhammad when trying to explain why he fell short against the relentless wrestler, who cracks fans up by comparing his boxing skills to Canelo Alvarez.
During Wednesday’s UFC London Media Day, ‘Rocky’ insisted that even if beats Sean Brady on Saturday night and goes on to become a two-time champion, he’ll never agree to fight at 5am ever again – even if he’s offered another UK PPV main event slot.
As far as Bisping is concerned, the very late start time is not why Edwards lost to Muhammad last year.
“I can’t speak for Leon and what he was feeling at that time,” TNT Sports UFC pundit said during an exclusive interview with Bloody Elbow. “However, I do have a very different opinion, that’s why I hesitate to say it.
“I’m not trying to dismiss his feelings or whatever, but I’m of the mindset that regardless of what time of day it is, when you’re walking out to an arena, and there’s 20,000 people, and you’ve been training for two months, the adrenaline kicks in, and you’re not really gonna feel tired.
“He did say that was a little bit off and he felt a step behind. And that does happen. I think maybe he’s perceiving that to be because it was the middle of the night. That’s an obvious conclusion to come to. ‘Why wasn’t I firing on all cylinders?’ ‘Ah, well, it was at 5 o’clock in the morning’.
“I think sometimes you just have a bad night at the office. Of course, Belal Muhammad was fantastic, he brought his A-game, and Leon had maybe not his best night. You put it all together and I understand why he would come to that conclusion.
“Fortunately, this is at prime time in the UK, so Leon is going to be firing all cylinders, and I can’t wait for it.”
Watch UFC Fight Night: Edwards vs Brady exclusively live on TNT Sports and discovery+ from 5pm on Saturday 22nd March