Tom Aspinall hails Tyson Fury for changing his life ahead of Alexander Volkov fight

Tom Aspinall has hailed Tyson Fury for changing his life and plans to use what he learned from the Gypsy King against Alexander Volkov on Saturday night.

Aspinall, 28, and Volkov, 33, will meet in the main event of UFC Fight Night 204 in London at the O2 Arena on March 19.

It will also mark the first time the UFC has returned to the English capital in almost three years.

Title hopeful Aspinall was a sparring partner for world heavyweight champion Fury back in 2015.

The Manchester MMA fighter helped his fellow Brit in his preparations to face Wladimir Klitschko.

And he insists the experience he gained in those sparring sessions helped transform his outlook on life in general.

During Wednesday’s media day, he said: “Well, I think Tyson Fury has helped me the most mentally.

“Obviously, I improved a lot. My skillset improved, my boxing improved definitely, like it brought me a long way skill wise – but more so mentally.

“If Tyson Fury ever gets a watch of this – thank you. I’ve never actually had that chance to thank him for it. He has completely changed my career and the outlook of what I’ve got.

“Without him I wouldn’t be where I am right now because my mentality has changed completely since I trained with him.

“It was quite a long time ago now, like, I was in my early twenties, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to carry on with this sport or box or maybe stop fighting altogether, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do.

“And yeah, he just completely changed my whole outlook on everything so I appreciate it.”

Aspinall’s upcoming opponent Volkov, who is five years his senior, has had more than twice as many fights as he has over the years.

And while he is well aware of the gulf in experience, he insists that he isn’t feeling any