From 300 sit-ups a day to 6,000 calories – inside Aspinall’s fight camp

Tom Aspinall arrives at his father Andy’s house, which is just around the corner, each morning, dropping his children off at the same school where they used to go when they were younger.

The magic happens in Atherton, Greater Manchester, just 20 minutes away from the gym.

Since he was eight years old, Andy has been Aspinall’s head coach, giving his son the perfect foundation to develop and win the first UFC heavyweight title.

The pair’s conversation in the car can cover a variety of topics, but for the past three months they have focused on the best way to defeat Ciryl Gane in his first UFC 321 victory.

As he recounts the anecdote about Tom’s left hand, Andy makes a warm, jovial joke about how they don’t always agree on topics to work on in the gym on the day.

However, this dynamic is healthy, and the Aspinalls’ philosophy focuses on encouraging constructive criticism in addition to a desire to improve.

The camp’s foundation is based on this philosophy as it prepares for former interim champion Gane, who is likely to be Aspinall’s biggest test of his 18-fight career to date.

In order to face Gane, Aspinall and his team have significantly changed: they have given cardio prioritization in comparison to earlier fight camps.

Aspinall tells BBC Sport, “My opponent moves really well, so I’m going to have to keep up with him moving.”

He exhibits excellent athleticism. I obviously want to be able to match or be as close to his as possible because of his excellent cardio.

In the UFC, Aspinall is not used to protracted fights.

Eight of the nine fights ended in the first round, with Aspinall having the shortest, shortest average fighttime in UFC history, two minutes, two seconds.

Aspinall, who was once a mastermind of Andy, now runs his own gym where he trains alongside Modestas Bukauskas and Ante Delija from the UFC.

Andy’s attention can be drawn to Aspinall because only four to eight fighters fight in a single day and only two spar simultaneously.

Andy says, “I’ve always been in his side.”

“For the past four years, I’ve been doing it every day with him to make sure I don’t miss anything.” I can see it all.

Aspinall has prioritized body work, which can include a daily 200 burpees, 300 sit-ups, and numerous sets of 10 press-ups, to increase his cardio.

This camp does a lot of that, says Andy, not about moving a weight, pulling something, or throwing something. It’s about moving yourself.

Aspinall’s cardio has improved, but he still prefers to end the competition early.

Aspinall has consumed more than 6, 000 calories per day and consumed between eight and ten liters of water to support the extra cardio.

Are you prepared for what’s going to happen? Before describing his strict diet, Aspinall warns BBC Sport.

Porridge is typically eaten for breakfast along with a few protein shakes, including peanut butter and blueberries, which can contain more than 1, 000 calories.

He consumes eloctrolytes before bed and then replenishes with a banana and another protein shake.

In order to prepare for his late afternoon training session, he has a meal of chicken, rice, yoghurt, and fruit.

Aspinall finishes the day off with a substantial serving of rice, eggs, and steak, and then finishes with a satisfying protein shake.

Aspinall places importance on getting enough sleep when he returns home from training, but Andy frequently watches Gane fight footage.

Tom watches him, but for eight to twelve weeks, he won’t have any say in what we’ll do, Andy claims.

Aspinall and his team respect Gane, and they are aware that heavyweight MMA can sometimes be turned around in terms of preparation. This is because they are familiar with the nature of the fight.

“You never know what you’re doing outside of fight training, whether it’s working or not, until you get into the fight,” says Andy.

“Tom needs to be trained to be as good as he can be, and his body needs to be able to react,” I simply said.

Before the American retired, Aspinall waited 19 months as interim champion to realize that he would fight in the title defense against Jon Jones.

15 months ago, Aspinall faced Curtis Blaydes for the interim title.

Aspinall declares his desire to restart the heavyweight division at the end of the interview.

“I’m just interested in being active. They haven’t been very active, according to Aspinall, which is one of the things about the heavyweight champion.