Unconventional battle preparation or the infamously dry British humour? The decision is yours.
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Interim UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall has been making waves after claiming he's been dipping his fists in gasoline ahead of the main event of UFC 304 on July 27. MMA Hour On July 15, Aspinall said he practices “the old-fashioned tourist technique of soaking my knuckles in gasoline for about 20 minutes as the sun is coming up,” claiming that this toughens his knuckles, and that he has “some of the toughest knuckles in the UFC right now.”
Aspinall's method has its roots in Irish Traveler bare-knuckle boxing, particularly from fighter “Big” Joe Joyce, who popularised the technique in a 2011 documentary. knuckle:
“I used to dip my hands in gasoline,” Joyce said, “and they would make my hands as hard as rock. I'd put them in gasoline for 20 minutes every day. Whoever I fought would have their face disfigured like a butcher's block.”
The technique was used by Tyson Fury in preparation for his rematch with Deontay Wilder in 2020.
The ethanol in gasoline dries out the skin, giving the impression of stiff knuckles, but this is simply a lack of moisture, which can cause the skin to crack and become inflamed. Gasoline is classified as a “possible human carcinogen.” There is no convincing evidence that gasoline causes cancer in humans, but there is some evidence that it does cause cancer in animals.
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At the very least, prolonged exposure to the skin can cause skin diseases. The UK Health Protection Agency's toxicity summary for gasoline states that “dermal exposure to gasoline is not considered to be a major contributor to systemic toxicity”, but this is based on the assumption that exposure is relatively low – not 20 minutes of direct exposure every day.
In these cases, it's best to tread warily. In the world of professional sports, if a technique works, everyone will use it.
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