Ask yourself: Do you genuinely enjoy the spectacle, or do you just want to be part of the water cooler chat on Monday morning? If it’s the latter, just watch the highlights on YouTube while you’re brushing your teeth. No shame in that. But if you love the ridiculousness—the “will he or won’t he” drama, the wild entrances, the very real possibility of a knockout—then you owe it to yourself to stay awake.
I stayed up for his fight with Anderson Silva. I was alone, wrapped in a duvet, with a mug of builder’s tea. When Silva wobbled him, I nearly woke up my cat. It was gloriously stupid and oddly bonding. You bond with strangers on Twitter who are also eating cereal at 4:37 AM.
The golden rule: Check the official time on the promoter’s website or the broadcaster’s app (like DAZN or Sky Sports) a few hours before. Social media is a liar. Your mate Dave is a liar. The official source is your only friend. And if you fall asleep? Honestly? Don’t stress. There will be another fight next week, and another bizarre time zone puzzle to solve.
Just don’t blame me if you wake up on the sofa at 7 AM, covered in toast crumbs, having missed the whole thing. That’s a rite of passage. You’ll be ready for the next one.
