'SERIOUSLY ADDICTED'
I’m a UFC champion and my life is a million times better after copying Tyson Fury’s pre-fight routine
The social media cleanse has given the champ complete clarity
TOM ASPINALL feels the best he's ever felt before a fight - thanks to a social media blackout.
The 31-year-old defends his interim heavyweight title early on Sunday morning in the co-main event of UFC 304 in Manchester.
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Standing between Aspinall and his dream of one day being undisputed champion is former foe Curtis Bladyes, who he suffered a horror knee injury against two years ago.
Atherton assassin Aspinall wanted complete clarity and focus for his homecoming and made the decision to ditch social media, much like his pal and former sparring partner Tyson Fury does, for the duration of his training camp.
And it's one he wishes he made sooner in his career.
During the UFC 304 media day, he told SunSport: "I still use my phone a lot of the time, I'm just not scrolling every day."
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Aspinall believes there are positives to social media but admits it can have a compounding effect on people struggling mentally.
He continued: "To anybody who's going through any kind of, feeling overwhelmed with life.
"You feel like you got too much going on there, whatever. Or the feeling of being a bit anxious about stuff.
"First thing you do is go out of social media… See how you get on.
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"Do what I did: delete the apps so you can't go back on it again.
"Coz I was seriously addicted to scrolling.
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"Yeah. My life is a lot better without reading hundreds of people's opinions of me everyday, you know what I mean?"
Being a world-famous athlete, Aspinall, unlike most of us, is inundated with thousands of opinions of him on a daily basis.
And he admits they started to contort his own views of himself and the world, saying: "My life is a lot better without reading a load of people's opinions all the time.
"Honestly, I was at a point where I didn't even really know my own opinion on stuff anymore, because I was reading too many [of] other people's opinions."
The temptation to jump straight back on social media after facing Bladyes will be strong for Aspinall, who plans to steer clear of the time-consuming apps for as long as possible.
He said: "Your life and fight preparation coincide a lot in my experience.
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"Like, if I'm not happy with my day-to-day life, I'm not performing too well in the gym.
"So, I'm much happier without social media. I won't be going back on it after my fight either."
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