Vegetarian MMA Fighters: The Diet Successful Sportsmen Follow

With a huge buzz circulating online around Vegan and Veganism we thought it would be fun to research and see if there were any popular Vegan fighters in both boxing and MMA.  Most people by now have seen the ‘Game Changers’ documentary on Netflix and have seen the Nate Diaz vs Conor Mcgregor match being a highlight at the beginning of the documentary. The scene was painted as the Vegan fighter vs the Carnivorous fighter.

So this gave us the idea of creating an article based on the Vegan fighters. According to many contrary to popular belief, deciding to go vegan can have little to no impact on physical performance. There may even be numerous physical benefits associated with the vegan diet. 

Veganism is growing in popularity every day, with more and more meat-eaters converting to the vegan lifestyle, it’s suddenly becoming a more positively looked at lifestyle. Vegetarian MMA fighters aren’t an exception.

In this article, I will list and discuss numerous vegetarian MMA fighters who are all vegan. I will go into great detail on each vegan MMA fighter with the intent to help you realize why veganism may give every fighter an edge in the ring, let’s do this. So before we jump straight into our vegan MMA fighter list I suppose we should answer a few questions first.

Vegan Boxing and Fighting: What Foods Do Vegan Sportsmen Consume?

Vegans are people who choose not to consume dairy, eggs, or any other products of animal origin, in addition to refraining from meat, as do vegetarians.

Some foods that Vegans would eat are 

• beans
• lentils
• tofu
• seitan
• tempeh
• nuts
• Seeds

Vegan MMA Fighter Typical Diet

The most popular Vegan fighter diet is probably David Haye’s. According to 80/10/10 this is what he eats in a day

Breakfast

Green juice with kale, arugula and parsley

Meal One

Pea protein and buckwheat flour pancakes with strawberries, walnuts and coconut yoghurt

Training

Another Green juice

Meal Two

Herb-marinated tofu, carrot spaghetti, arugula and peas

Meal Three

Smoothie with oats, vegan protein, coconut, frozen mixed berries, Medjool dates, mixed seeds, Chaga mushroom, spirulina and oat milk

Meal four

White bean quinoa salad with fennel, chicory, celery, red onion. Dried chilli. parsley, olives and hummus

Meal Five

Lentil and Kale Dahl with turmeric & Buckwheat

Without further ado here is our list. This list is our opinion and in no particular order.

Vegan Boxer and MMA Fighter List: Top 8 Successful Sportsmen

MMA fighter – Nick Diaz

The older brother to Nate Diaz, Nick Diaz is well known for his ferocity in the ring and extremely fast punching power. Nick is one of the biggest names in MMA and has participated in some of the most exciting matches to this day. Nick career first kicked off back in 2001 and has continued to learn and grow into the brilliant fighter he is today.

Nick is well known for his veganism and has continued to live this lifestyle from a very early age. Nick’s performance in the ring goes to show that veganism will not halt a man from doing well.

MMA fighter – Nate Diaz

Nicks younger brother known as Nate has built himself a fearsome reputation through various fights, against some of the biggest names in MMA history. Nate became extremely well known after his victory against Conor Mcgregor back in 2016, this sparked a new revolution for Nate.

Nate’s success against the Irish fighter was cherished and spread like wildfire throughout the veganism community, this was done to effectively get rid of the vegan stereotypes. Nate and Nick have both been and remained vegans since their early teenage years, furthermore proving the effectiveness of the vegan diet.

Boxer – David Haye

A well known English fighter, David Haye has built himself up an incredibly impressive boxing reputation. The fighter has won numerous matches against numerous opponents whilst barely carrying a loss under his belt. David’s physical stature completely demolishes the vegan stereotype which states that vegans can’t gain muscle.

David has claimed that his strength and power is attributed to his plant-based diet, which he has also claimed makes him feel younger and healthier. Due to Haye’s boxing reputation, his claims on the veganism lifestyle absolutely shouldn’t be taken lightly.

MMA Fighter – Herschel Walker

Walker is an American fighter who is quite literally built like a tank. This man visual appearance and physique has surprised many individuals upon learning of his vegan lifestyle. Walker is well known for his veganism, on the other hand, he is also well known for his diet extremities. Walker’s diet consists of numerous soups accompanied by bread.

What would seem like a prisoner’s diet, obviously seems to be serving him well. This fighter stands out from the crowd when you take into consideration the fact that he walked into the ring aged 47 and knocked out a very famous fighter – Greg Nagy.

His physical stature accompanied by his ability to fight extremely at such an unusual age is further proof of the benefits that a vegan lifestyle can offer.

Boxer – Cam Awesome

Cam Is an American boxer who has previously competed in the Olympics numerous times. Cam’s back story is intriguing as he went from being an obese 270-pound man to an extremely well-built fighter. During his period of being obese alongside being temporarily banned from the sport due to drug use, Cam decided to turn his life around completely, this is when he turned to veganism.

He wanted to completely turn around his nutrition and exercise pattern for the better and he certainly did that. Cam’s story from failure to accomplishment has inspired many and can be forever used by anyone looking for a little inspiration.

Boxer – Timothy Bradley

Timothy Bradley is a Filipino fighter and is a very successful and well-disciplined man. He is a five-time world champion and has won numerous titles in the welterweight and lightweight divisions. What put Tim in the spotlight was his successful win against Manny Pacquiao.

A very inspirational and respectable quality Tim possesses is his self-discipline. He is well known for his strict vegan diet plan and regularly takes part in fasting, he says doing this helps to keep him feeling young and in-shape.

MMA fighter – John Fitch

Another proud vegan, Fitch a veteran based in San Jose – California has done the vegan community proud. When John turned vegan back in 2011 he lost quite a bit of weight, this caused concern in the MMA community leading many people to believe he may lose his punching power, they couldn’t have been more wrong.

Fitch made claims suggesting that his change in the diet lead to him recovering faster from injury as well as making him feel younger and more energetic, a common statement it would seem to. This man was equally as tough when compared to other fighters which would further suggest veganism may be a very useful tool in sports such as these.

Boxer – Mike Rashid 

Mike Rashid has several accomplishments under his belt and is a very successful man. Boxing is not his only skill set, Mike is also an actor, author, bodybuilder, fitness guru and a businessman. He has achieved all this whilst being a hardcore vegan, which just kicks the stereotype in teeth that much more.

Mike claimed that after turning vegan he felt as though he could work harder in the gym, this being because he felt as though his joints and muscles would feel less sore after his workouts. Like many vegans, Mike believes the vegan diet can help with inflammation and other conditions.

Conclusion

Some of the biggest and baddest fighters are vegan, some of the biggest physiques are vegan. The list above delivers 8 different fighters who are all extremely successful and have never failed to put on a good show.

There are several other fighters not present on this list who are also vegan who are just as successful. The list of accomplishments alongside their stories and claims to veganism is very good evidence to suggest that veganism may be the way to go.

Check out our MMA Gym workout or Mike Tyson Workout Routine to get you into shape.