Tom Aspinall reveals secret weapon behind his bid for world title glory

The 30-year-old - who hails from Atherton, and has coached Jiu Jitsu at Elite Fitness Factory in Wigan, the gym owned by his Team Kaobon mate Mike Grundy - dazzled on his recent UFC comeback with a stunning first-round TKO victory over Marcin Tybura at London’s O2 Arena.

It was the perfect way for Aspinall to return from exactly a year on the sidelines with knee ligament damage, with his sights now firmly set on a title shot.

And he's revealed his secret weapon on his quest for success.

"I have a very, very good hypnotherapist, I work with him twice a week," he said.

"It's something I've worked on since I got my bad injury, because it affected me a lot mentally.

"And that has been absolutely key for me.

"It keeps me as calm as possible, I try to enjoy every second, because who knows how long we're going to be doing this for.

"In 10 years, I'm going to be finished, that's it, so it's about trying to make the most of every second."

Aspinall has already shown his mental toughness in handling all the pressure associated with his high-profile return - in front of an expectant crowd on home soil.

"It's absolutely a lot of responsibility, and it's not something that should be taken lightly," he said.

"All of the people are there to see you in your home city, or country, and that is a lot to take on mentally."

Next up for Aspinall could be Frenchman Ciryl Gane, who came up with a massive win over Serghei Spivac in front of a bumper home crowd in Paris last weekend.

"On a personal level, I like him a lot, he is a very nice guy," said Aspinall, when asked on Eurosport about the former UFC interim heavyweight champion.

"In character, we're maybe a little bit similar in that respect.

"But I just think I'm better than him in terms of MMA.

"I believe I am a future UFC champion, I believe I can overcome anything."