What is UFC champion Tom Aspinall soaking his knuckles in for UFC 304?

Tom Aspinall takes cue from Tyson Fury as he prepares for UFC 304.

The reigning interim heavyweight champion will put his title on the line against Curtis Blaydes on Saturday, July 27. The event will take place from the Co-op Live in Manchester, England.

During a recent appearance on The MMA Hour, Aspinall explained how he’s preparing for Blaydes.

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“When it’s about 4 in the morning, I set my alarm. I go outside, do a bit of shadow boxing in the hay bales,” Aspinall said (thanks to MMA Fighting for the quotes). “Then I do the old traveler method of dipping your knuckles in petrol.

“For about 20 minutes, as the sun rises, your knuckles get hard.”

The idea comes from the documentary “Knuckle” which follows Joe Joyce. Joyce was part of the Irish Traveler bare-knuckle boxing world.

“I wanted to tap into a bit of gypsy heritage that I have,” Aspinall said. “So I thought, okay, what I’m going to do is make a little ring out of hay bales.”

The decision to start training at 4am is also part of his plan to prepare for the time shift with his fight. Because it is a big event, it will likely be broadcast live during primetime in the US.

That means Aspinall and Blaydes will walk into the Octagon in the early hours of the morning local time.

Aspinall and Blaydes had previously played each other, but a knee injury to Aspinall resulted in his first and only defeat to date.

Tom Aspinall follows Tyson Fury’s example

Before his meeting with Deontay Wilder in 2020, Fury did exactly what Aspinall is doing now.

Fury told The Sun that he had spoken to Joyce about it beforehand.

“He told me he dipped his hands in gasoline,” Fury said. “To make them stronger.

“It worked for him, so I’m going to give it a try.”

Fury would earn a seventh-round TKO over Fury and claim the WBC, The Ring and lineal heavyweight titles that night.

Related: Tyson Fury’s Next Fight: The ‘Gypsy King’ Sets December Revenge Fight