Fact Check: Did Tom Aspinall really dip his knuckles in petrol? Video chat with Ariel Helwani clears the rumor up

Tom Aspinall has cleared the air on the speculation surrounding him supposedly soaking his knuckles in petrol. Many fans had expressed concern for Aspinall's health after he recently claimed he was dipping his knuckles in petrol to harden them.

Aspinall spoke about the practice at length during an appearance on The MMA Hour with Helwani earlier this month (July 2024). The 31-year-old cited the 2011 documentary film, 'Knuckle,' featuring old-school bare-knuckle boxers such as Big Joe Joyce. He noted that Joyce and other pugilists from the Irish traveler community hardened their knuckles by dipping them in petrol.

Moreover, Aspinall asserted that it's a well-known tradition in the UK and Ireland. He highlighted that as part of his preparations for his upcoming UFC 304 fight; he's been waking up at 4:00 am, shadowboxing in the hay bales, and using other training methods by channeling his own "Gypsy heritage." He further indicated that he soaks his hands in petrol for 20 minutes on most days.

Watch Aspinall discuss the topic below (11:10-14:00):

Tom Aspinall espoused the petrol-soaking practice during his UFC 304 media day appearance as well, notably claiming that he's unfazed by its potential health risks. Well, ahead of his UFC 304 showdown, Aspinall spoke to Ariel Helwani on a video call and revealed that it was an elaborate prank.

Tom Aspinall was standing at a location in the UFC fighter hotel, where he seemed to have a container of petrol. His father, Andy Aspinall, poured some liquid from the container into a vessel on the ground. The younger Aspinall then showed Helwani the can and dipped his hands into the vessel. Aspinall then laughingly highlighted that he'd been pranking Helwani and everyone else:

"No. We're taking the pi**, Ariel. It's just water. It was all a big f**king joke."

Aspinall explained that some people truly believed he was using the petrol-soaking training method, which is why he had to end the long-running prank:

"We've got to drop the gag because people think it's serious. We've got to drop it ... We actually bought hay bales and everything. But, in all honesty, I actually do live on a farm. So, we have hay bales and everything, for real. But, anyway, sorry for waking you up, mate."

Watch the Tom Aspinall-Ariel Helwani phone conversation below:

Watch the complete prank reveal in Aspinall's YouTube video below (21:36-24:20):

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UFC 304 star Tom Aspinall could compete in a title unifier in 2024

The first encounter between the UK's Tom Aspinall and America's Curtis Blaydes took place in July 2022 and saw Aspinall suffer a horrific knee injury and lose via first-round TKO. Their rematch will serve as the co-headlining match at UFC 304 (July 27, 2024) at the Co-op Live in Manchester, England. It'll witness Aspinall put his interim UFC heavyweight championship at stake against Blaydes.

The Tom Aspinall-Curtis Blaydes victor is likely to compete in a title unification fight against the winner of the long-awaited fight between UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones and former champion Stipe Miocic.

During the UFC 304 pre-fight press conference, UFC CEO Dana White was asked whether the Aspinall-Blaydes winner would face the Jones-Miocic winner in a title-unifying showdown. White responded with the following one-word answer:

"Absolutely."

Watch White address the topic below (8:48):