Tom Aspinall before UFC 304: My knuckles 'are like absolute stones' after dipping them in petrol

MANCHESTER, England – Interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall has been using a unique method to sharpen his hands for UFC 304.

Aspinall (14-3 MMA, 7-1 UFC) rematches Curtis Blaydes (18-4 MMA, 13-4 UFC) in Saturday’s co-main event (ESPN+ pay-per-view) at Co-op Live. With the UFC introducing new gloves, Aspinall has noticed less protection around the knuckles, which is why he started soaking them in gasoline.

“Mate, they’re like absolute stones,” Aspinall told reporters, including MMA Junkie, at UFC 304 media day. “You know what, I’ve seen them new gloves, and they’re a lot smaller than the other ones. There’s a lot less padding on them.

“And I just thought, you know what, I need to harden the knuckles up, and that’s the only way I know how. I’ve been doing the old gypsy method of dipping them in petrol, and they’re like rocks. … If I get a disgusting knockout on Saturday, you better believe that half of the roster are going to be dipping their knuckles in petrol.”

Blaydes is Aspinall’s lone loss in the UFC after the Brit blew out his knee just 15 seconds into their July 2022 fight. Aspinall views this rematch as the hardest fight of his career.

“The guy’s been in the top five, top 10 for a long time,” Aspinall said. “He’s done basically everything there is to do apart from win a title. So I respect him a lot, and I respect what he’s all about. I respect him as a person, as an athlete, everything, and I have taken him very seriously in the build-up, and I’m taking this fight very, very seriously. I’m not looking past him at all.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 304.