Training for a fight is not standard for everyone. Each fighter has his unique quirks and weird methods for getting ready. UFC Interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall also has a unique method. He takes a page from his ancestral playbook and gears up for UFC 304.
The English interim heavyweight champion is embracing some unconventional training methods for his upcoming fight. His secret weapon? A daily dose of petrol-soaked knuckles, courtesy of his Gypsy heritage. Aspinall faces Curtis Blaydes in an interim heavyweight title bout on July 27 in Manchester, England.
He revealed this eyebrow-raising routine during a recent appearance on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani. “I wanted to resort back to a bit of gypsy heritage that I’ve got, so I thought, right, what I’m going to do is I’m going to make a little ring out of hay bales. When it gets to about 4 a.m., I get my alarm on, I go outside, do a bit of shadowboxing in the hay bales, and then I do the old traveler method of dipping your knuckles in petrol for about 20 minutes as the sun’s coming up, and that hardens your knuckles.” Aspinall said.
Aspinall credited the 2011 documentary “Knuckle” for inspiring this unusual training technique. The film explores Gypsy bare-knuckle boxing and its time-honored traditions. One such tradition involved hardening knuckles by soaking them in petrol. He has fully embraced this method, waking up at 4 a.m. for his daily dip.
This unorthodox approach is all part of Aspinall’s preparation for the early morning fight time. UFC 304 will cater to North American audiences, meaning a pre-dawn start in Manchester. However, Tom Aspinall isn’t letting the unusual timing throw him off his game. He is ready and prepared to defend his interim belt.
Tom Aspinall Remains Indifferent To Fight Timing For UFC 304
Aspinall is not losing sleep over his upcoming 4 AM fight time at UFC 304. The interim heavyweight champion seems unfazed by the unusual start for his Manchester bout. His opponent, Blaydes, recently expressed concerns about the early morning showdown, but the Brit is treating it like just another fight.
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The interim title bout will start at around 4 am on July 27. Aspinall’s nonchalant attitude stands in stark contrast to Blaydes’ apprehension. He believed that a complete fighter should be able to fight at any time of the day, not just at particular times.
“If you can fight really well at 12 o’clock, midnight, but you can’t fight really well at 4 AM, you weren’t that good in the first place in my opinion. There’s plenty of times that I’ve traveled across the world and fought in different timezones without even adjusting myself.” Aspinall stated.
Tom Aspinall believes adapting to unusual fight times is part of being a top-tier athlete. His confidence is apparent going into this rematch fight against Curtis Blaydes. Aspinall has incorporated early morning training sessions into his fight camp and even set up a makeshift ring of hay bales in his backyard. He is ready to fight for his interim belt early in the morning.
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