Tom Watson's UFC Fight Night 47 prep: Tea parties and dressing gowns

English middleweight Tom Watson sometimes marches to the beat of a different drum. But as he prepares for a UFC Fight Night 47 showdown with “Smilin'” Sam Alvey, “Kong” is staying true to his British sensibilities.

Watson recently shared his training routine with the fine folks at UFC.com, and according to the 32-year-old, his preparation at Los Angeles’ Dynamix MMA isn’t what you might normally expect.

About 7:30 am every weekday Miss Jones brings up my tea tray and insists I dress. It is unacceptable to be seen in my dressing gown outside of my bedroom she tells me, and just for this I may wear it to the weigh-ins. A man in his robe to the public, a genuine stance of defiance. You see, I have to change my clothes about four times a day from the sweat-drenched training attire provided by Lonsdale into something more comfortable. As trivial as this sounds, it’s rather a grind.

With training starting at 9, resuming again around 2.30 followed by an evening class, the changing is almost unbearable. As you can imagine not only does this issue of such frequent changing irritate me greatly but it also keeps my maid quite busy. Maids are not cheap. Weekends the days are differing but still typical. Early morning, I jog. Afternoons I choose to read, sew (just kidding) or call on friends. One of my favorite social activities is hosting a tea party but I don’t get too much time for that these days. Sadly, most Americans aren’t too fond of the stuff.

Watson and Alvey (23-5 MMA, 0-0 UFC) meet at the Aug. 16 event, which takes place at Cross Insurance Center in Bangor, Maine. It’s an important fight for Watson, who has endured a difficult 1-3 stretch of late.

In Alvey, a former cast member on “The Ultimate Fighter 16,” Watson faces a hard-hitting opponent who, well, maybe it’s best to just let “Kong” explain:

When I think of Alvey I can’t help but drift my mind to Ghandi, the famous advocate of non-violence. Alvey’s aim as the ‘smiler’ is his meager attempt to bedazzle his opponent before fights with his beaming teeth and charm; to win over their mind, heart and persuade them that the ‘smiler’ is a jolly fine chap! But an important element in non-violence is to offer the opponent an out, a face-saving way to change the mind. A few of his trademark right hooks usually suffice, but can we be sure that his willingness to suffer won’t come at a risk?

Lest you think Watson is in a particularly jovial mood ahead of this appearance, take a look at some of his other pre-fight answers for past UFC contests.

Tom Watson battles his two inner horses ahead of his UFC 169 fight with Nick Catone

Now I feel confident most people know the training for an mma fighter. Countless training videos and insights have shown the demands. I shall not bore you with a descriptive schedule. But I do wish to share my struggle with my two inner horses. The White horse of reason telling me what I should do and how I should prepare for my upcoming fight. Then that damn black horse, pulling me down a different path. Magic is about the only thing that has kept me sane in getting ready for this fight.

Tom Watson proking strangers ahead of his UFC 163 fight with Thales Leites

Again I have mixed it up in my training. With me fighting in Brazil i need to be prepared for a hostile reception. I have tried to provoke as many people as possible in the last month to prepare my mind for being disliked. I have been studying the performances of Team GB at the 2012 Olympics in London for inspiration. Of course, this is only half of my challenge. I have to get myself in top physical condition. Many an hour spent doing water aerobics, and explosive power work with the Taiwan Bobsleigh Team.

Tom Watson inspired by camel wrestling ahead of his UFC on FUEL TV 7 fight with Stanislav Nedkov

Of course I have to Wrestle, Kickbox and Grapple but ‘typical’ as an adjective refers to something ‘normal’ or ‘to be expected’. I believe this is how I trained for much of my career. Unfortunately mixed martial arts is not typical and is on the contrary, completely unpredictable. Now I try to train with this is mind. I do not plan my schedule and I try to incorporate as many different workouts as I can. I have started cycling a lot. Sprint and track work, Zumba and even a power plate class. I tried to get involved in Camel wrestling in Egypt in December. Its a remarkable thing watching two camels go at it. It really picks up a pace. True story.

For more on UFC Fight Night 47, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.