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

Each morning Tom Aspinall drops his kids off at school - the same school he used to go to when he was younger - before turning up at his father Andy's house which is just round the corner.

It is here in the Greater Manchester town of Atherton, on a 20-minute car journey to the gym, where the magic happens.

Andy has been 32-year-old Aspinall's head coach since the age of eight, providing the perfect platform for his son to flourish in becoming Britain's first UFC heavyweight champion.

The pair's conversation in the car can cover a range of topics, but for the past three months they have had one focus - the best way to defeat Ciryl Gane on Saturday at UFC 321 in his first defence of his belt.

"We've had millions of hours in the car all our lives and we chat. We just construct a training session. He'll say 'I need to work on my left hand today' and I'll say 'I don't think you do'," Andy tells BBC Sport.

Andy laughs in a warm, joking manner as he tells the anecdote about Tom's left hand, suggesting they don't always agree at first on what to work on in the gym that day.

But this dynamic is healthy, and constructive criticism amid an enjoyment of the sport and drive to get better is key to the Aspinalls' philosophy.

It is this philosophy which has formed the bedrock of the camp to prepare for former interim champion Gane, who is likely to provide the biggest test of Aspinall's 18-fight career to date.

From doing 300 sit-ups a day to eating 6,000 calories, BBC Sport takes a look at Aspinall's intense training camp.

In preparation to face Gane, Aspinall and his team have made one major change compared with previous fight camps - they have prioritised cardio.

"My opponent moves really well, so I'm gonna have to keep up with him moving," Aspinall tells BBC Sport.

"He's very athletic. He's got great cardio so I obviously want to be able to match that or get as close to it as possible."

Aspinall is not used to long fights in the UFC.

In nine bouts eight have finished in the first round, with Aspinall having the shortest average fight length in UFC history at two minutes, two seconds.

Gane's average fight length on the other hand is 14 minutes, 15 seconds, with only two of his 12 fights finishing in the first round.

Masterminded by Andy, Aspinall has his own gym now, where he trains with a select group of heavyweights and light-heavyweights, including the UFC's Modestas Bukauskas and Ante Delija.

There are only four to eight fighters in the gym on a given day and only two people spar at once, so Andy's attention can be focused on Aspinall.

"I've always been there in his corner," says Andy.

"The past four years I've done every day with him so I don't miss anything. I see everything."

To improve Aspinall's cardio, he has been prioritising body work, which can include around 200 burpees a day, 300 sit-ups a day and numerous sets of 10 press-ups.

"It's not about moving a weight or pulling something or throwing something, it's about moving yourself, so this camp he's done a lot of that," explains Andy.

Despite the improvements in Aspinall's cardio he would still prefer to end the contest early.

"I'd much prefer a short fight, but if I have to do a long fight, that's fine," says Aspinall.

To supplement the extra cardio work, Aspinall has been eating over 6,000 calories a day and drinking between eight to 10 litres of water.

"This is boring - are you ready for this?" Aspinall warns BBC Sport, before describing his strict diet.

Aspinall usually eats porridge for breakfast, alongside a couple of protein shakes which include peanut butter and blueberries, which can top 1,000 calories.

Before morning training he drinks eloctrolytes, and refuels afterwards with a banana and another protein shake.

Lunch involves chicken, rice, yoghurt and fruit, before loading up with more protein, carbs and electrolytes in preparation for his late afternoon training session.

Aspinall finishes the day with a large portion of steak, eggs and rice and polishes it off with a final protein shake.

Of the 6,000 calories, Aspinall says around 2000 a day get burned off during his "heavy" training sessions.

Aspinall prioritises sleep when he gets home after training but for Andy, this is the time when he often watches fight footage of Gane.

"Tom watches him too but he doesn't have any say in what we're going to do for eight to 12 weeks," says Andy.

Aspinall and his team respect Gane and they know the nature of heavyweight MMA, where the tide of the fight can turn in an instant, means preparation can sometimes be thrown out of the window.

"You never know what you're doing outside of fight training, if it's working or not, until you get in the fight, and then you don't know what's going to happen in the fight," says Andy.

"I just think Tom's got to be trained as good as he can be and his body's got to be able to react."

Aspinall spent 19 months as interim champion waiting for an undisputed title fight with Jon Jones to materialise before the American retired.

In that time, Aspinall defended the interim title once against Curtis Blaydes, 15 months ago.

Aspinall ends the interview by revealing his desire to get the heavyweight division moving again.

"I just want to be active. I think one of the things about the heavyweight champ is, they've not been very active," said Aspinall.

"So I would like to fight regular. Twice, three times a year, and keep the division moving."