MMA Crunch

During the time leading up to any fight, mixed martial artists always keep a watchful eye on what they put into their body. Their diet is critical and sometimes even vital to their success in the cage. Weight limits are also set as a prerequisite before any fight. At times, fighters even fail to make the appropriate weight. Yet, in the world of mixed martial arts, the fight must go on.

Matt Hughes recently felt the wrath of a heavier opponent when Thiago Alves pummeled him during UFC 85. The fight was dubbed a catchweight bout, nevertheless the fight went on even after Alves failed to make weight. And although Hughes loss the fight, he did what he had to win the battle of the scales. The longtime UFC journeyman has been maintaining his fighting weight for more than a decade with a strict regimented diet.

Hughes’ training blog reads, “I try and eat meals as if I was stranded on an island In other words, I want all the nutrients my body needs to survive to come from the food and nothing extra.”

Hughes’ diet consists of lots of fish and chicken and an occasional steak to provide the 170 pounder with protein. Hoards of vegetables also make their way into his six to seven daily meals. Most mma fighters follow a diet very consistent with Hughes. However, other fighters often take on a different approach.

The Faber Diet

WEC Featherweight champion Urijah Faber enjoys a diet that borders on vegetarianism. Raised by parents who were hippies, Faber was introduced to a homeopathic diet at a very early age. Growing up, he was taught to live and crave a healthy diet although his parents were not strict vegetarians. Now, Faber has adapted that diet which enables him to maintain a peak physical condition.

Although Faber eats a largely vegetarian diet, he does manage to mix in his share of chicken. With a target of 5,000 calories per day, Faber takes in a lot of soy and recently delved into the world of supplements to achieve that goal.

In a recent issue of Muscle and Fitness Magazine Faber was quoted saying, “Lately I’ve been having trouble keeping my weight up, so I’ve been getting extra calories with a shake supplement. I put soy milk, peanut butter and bananas in it.”

The diet seems to be working very well for Faber as he continues to cruise through the ranks of the WEC.

On to the Vegan

Over in the UFC, Max Danzig won’t eat anything tainted with meat. The vegan excludes all animal derived products from his diet, including honey and gelatin.

“I’m Mac Danzig and I’m a vegan”, Danzig said in a new advertisement for Peta2, the world’s largest youth animal rights organization for which Danzig is a spokesperson.

“Animals on factory farms and in slaughterhouses don’t have a fighting chance,” Danzig continued. “I don’t eat animals because I don’t want to contribute to their suffering, it’s that simple. Do yourself a favor, do the planet a favor, and help end animal abuse. Go veg.”

With a professional record of 19-4-1, the vegan diet is currently boding pretty well for Danzig. However, he has to work that much harder to supply his body with all the nutrients necessary to be a prolific mma fighter.

The Champ’s diet

UFC heavyweight champion Randy Couture is an advocate of a high Alkaline diet and has even attributed past victories to that diet. An Alkaline diet is based on the consumption of fresh fruits, vegetables, roots and tubers, nuts, and legumes while avoiding grains, dairy, meat and excess salt. This is done in order to balance the acidity and alkalinity (the pH balance) of the body.

In an past interview with bodybuilding.com, Couture explained, “There was a huge difference when I changed my eating habits when I went on a high alkaline, more natural raw food diet. I notice that with the same workouts, the same circuit training routines, I get some muscle soreness, but I seem to recover faster and better.”

Couture has also come out with his own line of supplements called Couture Nutrition. He told bodybuilding.com how that venture came about.

“We have things that I always wanted to use or have used over the years to get me through training or help me recover from training. That is where the line came from. It just came out of seeing a need of what I needed as an athlete. Not based in bodybuilding or from any other perspective that many other nutrition companies are coming from. It is truly an athletic based line.”

For most athletes, diet is one of the most important elements of their game. Failure to maintain a proper diet will undoubtedly factor into their performance. And in the world of mixed martial arts, diet may play an even more crucial role. In a sport where every pound counts, it is wise to count every calorie, carb and gram before the time comes to step into the cage.

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