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Island Source

Mixed martial arts (MMA), also called cage fighting, is a no holds barred combat sport whereby two competitors attempt to win by dominance. Exhausting, highly skilled and dangerous. Training is brutally extensive, and the proper diet is vital to stand any fighting chance and achieve optimum performance and recovery. The hit documentary <a href="https://gamechangersmovie.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">The Game Changers</a> is our go-to for explaining the science behind gold-winning vegan-powered athletes. Wipe the sweat from your brow and meet some top vegan MMA fighters. Find out how veganism helps them knock out the opposition! <h2>Nate Diaz</h2>In an interview with UFC Fight Pass, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/natediaz209/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">Nate Diaz</a> discusses coming to veganism at eighteen and following a raw diet for training. He tried meat again at one point but claimed his body didn’t react well. He believes that a vegan diet helps him recover from wounds and fatigue faster than a meat-eating diet.&nbsp; Diaz surprised the critics by beating champion Conor McGregor at UFC 196, which came to be one of UFC’s most famous fights, and has been a part of the <a href="https://martialartsinsider.com/blogs/mma/vegan-mma-fighters" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">biggest Pay Per View</a> fights in the history of the UFC. Fighters often tease and mock their opponents in televised fights to add drama to the entertainment. McGregor’s side reportedly mocked Diaz for being vegan, but Nate offered the last jape as he tweeted,&nbsp;“Conor McGregor got his ass kicked by a vegan”. What a way to discredit the stereotype that vegans are weak. K.O.&nbsp; <h2>Karolina Kowalkiewicz</h2><a href="https://www.instagram.com/karolinakowalkiewicz/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">Karolina Kowalkiewicz</a> started her martial arts journey at sixteen by training in krav maga, and by 2015 was signed with the UFC.&nbsp; In 2019 Kowalkiewicz was diagnosed with Hashimoto's disease, an autoimmune disorder affecting the thyroid gland and symptoms include fatigue and muscle weakness. Kowalkiewicz has not allowed this to stop her from competing, including beating&nbsp;Silvana Gómez Juárez in November 2022 at&nbsp;UFC 281.&nbsp; To help manage the condition, Kowalkiewicz takes care of herself with a vegan diet: “ I pay much more attention to regeneration after training. I take care [to have] the right amount of sleep. I have also been on a <a href="https://mymma.pl/kowalkiewicz-walczy-z-hashimoto-zawodniczka-jest-pod-opieka-endokrynologa-i-zmienila-diete/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">vegan diet for some time</a> - it serves me very well, and I feel better and better.” <h2>Mac Danzig</h2><a href="https://www.instagram.com/danzig_mma/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">Mac Danzig</a> started his vegan journey in 2004 and is an animal rights activist. Before he became a professional vegan MMA fighter, he worked as a caretaker at the Animal Sanctuary in Pennsylvania. When Danzig started MMA, he was an anomaly&nbsp;as a vegan, but he subverted the MMA world of majority carnivores by winning fights as a vegan. “Everyone tells you if you’re an athlete you need to at least have chicken and fish in your diet for protein,” <a href="https://plantmatterkitchen.com/blog/veganism-athleticism-mac-danzig/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">says Danzig for Plant Matter Kitchen</a>, and that is “one of the myths that’s been perpetuated for a while.” Being vegan for both <a href="https://www.ufc.com/news/mac-danzigs-diet-truth-about-vegan" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">health and ethics</a>, Danzig speaks out about living in an exploitative era and recognises that “most people are just victims of consumerism and are victims of misinformation like we all are in so many ways”. Even at a very young age, Danzig’s compassion was sophisticated:&nbsp;“I remember being 13 and seeing a truck on the interstate filled with pigs all headed to the slaughterhouse. One of them made eye contact with me for a while. It was one of the saddest moments I can remember. There was so much intelligence and spirit in him, and here he was, being sent to an awful death.” <h2>Ashlee Evans-Smith</h2>Pro vegan MMA fighter <a href="https://www.instagram.com/ashleemma/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">Ashlee Evans-Smith</a> competes in women's flyweight and bantamweight divisions, claiming veganism helps her shed pounds for those crucial weigh-ins to maintain divisional weight (being over the weight limit results in penalties). By going vegan, Evan-Smith said, “<a href="https://www.alive.com/fitness/green-lean-fighting-machine/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">I’ve never lost strength - only fat. I’ve never lost energy; only guilt</a>.” Evans-Smith, AKA ‘<a href="https://www.ufc.com/athlete/ashlee-evans-smith" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">Rebel Girl</a>’, turned vegan in 2016 and has gained a following for her podcast&nbsp;<a href="https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/sex-and-violence-with-rebel-girl-ashlee-mO4RQAv-CrJ/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">Sex &amp; Violence with Rebel Girl</a>, which features MMA fighters discussing dating, love, and sex.&nbsp; So, there you have it, examples of the strongest, most physically resilient people in the world proving that a vegan diet keeps you super fit and healthy.&nbsp;For more on fitness, check out more <a href="https://www.v-landuk.com/article/vegan-fitness-let-s-do-some-myth-busting" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">myth-busting</a> or sign up for a <a href="https://www.v-landuk.com/article/motivating-online-vegan-personal-trainers-to-follow" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">vegan personal trainer</a>.&nbsp;

 Man practising Mixed martial arts (MMA) in a dark, smoky room

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Can a vegan MMA fighter still kick ass? These 4 prove they can


In 2019, millions logged onto Netflix to watch the new documentary <a href="https://www.instagram.com/gamechangersmovie/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">Game Changers</a>. The streaming giant's new hit promised to shed light on going vegan and the athletes that had benefited from a plant based diet. Millions watched as doctors and sporting professionals dispelled many of the health myths surrounding a vegan diet and illuminated some of the health implications involved with eating animal products. After watching the documentary, many viewers decided to try a plant based diet for themselves and see if they felt many of the benefits that the athletes involved in <a href="https://gamechangersmovie.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">Game Changers</a> did. Seeing these professionals at the peak of their physical health promoting a plant based diet, clearly did wonders in showing non-vegans just how beneficial this <a href="https://www.rush.edu/news/health-benefits-vegan-diet" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">diet</a> can be. There are many top athletes today that are thriving on a vegan diet. Here are just a few you may know, and what they have to say about this way of living. <h2>Novak Djokovic</h2>Those who have paid even the smallest amount of attention to tennis in the last decade or two will be very aware of <a href="http://www.instagram.com/djokernole" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">Novak Djokovic</a>. The star of the tennis court began playing professionally in 2003 and has gone on to win as many as ninety ATP singles titles, of which 21 of those are Grand Slam titles. While he has openly stated that he doesn’t like the label ‘vegan’ he hasn’t consumed animal products for over a decade now.&nbsp; The tennis pro came to this lifestyle for the health benefits and sticks to very natural plant based foods, he says a prayer before every meal and aims to eat as mindfully as possible. Djokovic attributes his ability to stay on the tennis court for so many years at peak fitness to his plant based diet. <h2>Lewis Hamilton</h2>A list of famous vegan athletes wouldn’t be complete without mentioning arguably one of the most famous sports stars alive. <a href="http://www.instagram.com/lewishamilton" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">Lewis Hamilton</a> is a passionate advocate for a vegan diet and says so publicly on a regular basis. Those that follow the F1 champion on social media will know that he is not shy when it comes to encouraging others to adopt a vegan diet to <a href="https://www.crash.net/f1/news/931346/1/hamilton-wants-people-go-vegan-save-our-planet" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">save the planet</a>. It’s not just his love for the planet that keeps him plant based though, Hamilton has often espoused the health benefits of this way of living. In 2021, he said “I have more energy; I'm so much more productive. I wake up feeling way better, clearer in thought and fresher in my body.” Few people consider the physical strain of being a Formula 1 Driver when compared to other sports. However, F1 requires a lot of stamina and physical strength, with drivers needing to <a href="https://mensfitness.co.uk/fitness/how-formula-1-drivers-stay-fit-focused/#:~:text=A%20lot%20of%20deadlifting.,isolated%20glute%20exercises%20as%20well." rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">stay fit</a> throughout their whole career. <h2>Tia Blanco</h2>Those unfamiliar with the world of surfing may not know who this young athlete is, however her career and story surrounding why she is plant based is an interesting one. <a href="http://www.instagram.com/tiablanco" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">Tia</a> is a professional surfer from California and passionate vegan. Born in Puerto Rico, the Filipino-American athlete explained that she started surfing at three years old and never looked back. Since then, she has gone on to win several surfing awards. The surfing star was raised vegetarian and became vegan over a decade ago. Her story goes a long way to debunk myths surrounding the need for animal protein when it comes to reaching peak athletic performance. Blanco has stated her favourite post-training meal is a <a href="https://www.tastingtable.com/686154/hawaiian-bbq-burger-recipe-beyond-burger/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">Hawaiian Beyond Burger</a> and, when asked about the company, said “I think Beyond Meat will change the world; for vegans and meat eaters alike.” <h2>Honourable mention - Serena Williams</h2>One of the most famous tennis players in the world <a href="http://www.instagram.com/serenawilliams" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">Serena Williams</a> receives an honourable mention on this list after stating that she follows a “mostly” vegan diet. Though Williams has recently retired, after winning twenty three Grand Slam titles, anyone watching tennis during her career can clearly see that she was at the peak of physical fitness. The tennis champion has attributed much of this to her diet which is reported to be vegan for six days a week and vegetarian for the seventh day. Her husband, and <a href="https://www.reddit.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">Reddit</a> founder, Alex Ohanian is fully vegan and recently said that he turned to this way of living when Serena became pregnant, following his own health concerns. Though Williams may not follow a fully plant based diet, she has gone above and beyond in the fashion industry when it comes to creating more vegan-friendly products. Her clothing brand <a href="https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/spring-2020-ready-to-wear/s-by-serena/slideshow/collection#3" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">S By Serena</a> features a completely <a href="https://www.v-landuk.com/article/5-plant-leather-alternatives-for-vegans-and-environmentalists" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">vegan leather</a> line. When asked about this, Serena stated “I feel like a lot of things are being killed and we’re not saving the earth…We can all just do one small thing and help out so that was also a lot of our inspiration.” We hope you enjoyed learning about some of the most famous vegan athletes and how they not only survive, but thrive following a plant based diet. Check out our other article which highlights some other <a href="https://www.v-landuk.com/article/9-athletes-powered-by-plants" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">famous plant based athletes</a> as well as our list about <a href="https://www.v-landuk.com/article/5-tokyo-2020-olympians-you-didn-t-know-were-vegan" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(75, 172, 72);">Olympians who you may not have known were vegan</a>.

variety of sportsmen and sportswomen doing different sports such as football, tennis, rugby and sprinting

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How does a plant based diet help these famous vegan athletes?

These 5 vegan Olympians were wowing crowds and winning fans at the 2020 Summer Olympics held in Tokyo. Let’s take a closer look at who they are: <h2>Amelia Brodka – Skateboarder</h2>Team Poland’s <a href="https://www.instagram.com/ameliabrodka/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(75, 172, 72); background-color: transparent;">Amelia</a> became vegan to enhance her sports performance. She understood that omitting animal products from her diet meant she could increase the longevity of her career and speed up recovery after injury. In addition to being vegan, she has inspired a whole generation of women to take up skateboarding. She also founded the annual Exposure skate competition which is designed to bring more girls to the sport she loves. <h2>Alex Morgan – Soccer</h2>Team USA’s <a href="https://www.instagram.com/alexmorgan13/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(75, 172, 72); background-color: transparent;">Alex Morgan</a> returned for her THIRD Olympic Games in Tokyo. Said by many to be the leading football player of her generation, she became vegan in 2017 after realising there’s no difference between eating a dog or any other animal. <h2>Cheavon Clarke – Boxing</h2>Jamaican-born <a href="https://www.instagram.com/c4chev/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(75, 172, 72); background-color: transparent;">Cheavon</a> represented Great Britain in boxing at the Tokyo Olympics. He became vegan in 2018 after becoming disillusioned by controversial farming techniques shown in the documentary Cowspiracy. He has since spoken out about farming cruelty and has filmed several plant-based cooking demonstrations for the BBC. Most recently he has teamed with Birds Eye Green Cuisine to empower people to eat more meatless meals. <h2>Micky Papa – Skateboarder</h2>Tokyo was Canadian <a href="https://www.instagram.com/micky_papa/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(75, 172, 72); background-color: transparent;">Micky Papa’s</a> first Olympics. The 30 year old is a world leader in the sport and he fuels his energy with plant-based foods. His main reason for a vegan lifestyle is health. He especially favours natural fruit and vegetables as they take him back to his Italian grandmother’s edible garden. <h2>Vivian Kong – Fencing</h2>Hailing from Hong Kong, 27 year old <a href="https://www.instagram.com/vmwkong/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(75, 172, 72); background-color: transparent;">Vivian</a> became vegan because she saw all the benefits veganism could offer her as an athlete. She’s also vocal about the environmental, social and ethical benefits of this lifestyle. She set such an amazing example that her coach followed her and became vegan too! Should you wish to know more about how to improve your sports performance and/or health with veganism, V-Land can highly recommend watching The Game Changers and What The Health.

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5 Tokyo 2020 Olympians you didn’t know were vegan

<a href="https://www.instagram.com/running_vegan_baker/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Amy Hudson</a> is a runner with the Inverness Harriers and not only was Amy the first British Woman past the post in the 2019 Chicago Marathon with a personal best of 2 hours and 58 minutes. She owns and operates “Pure Bakery” a vegan bakery that produces stunning and delicious celebration cakes. <h2>Andy Stone</h2><a href="https://www.instagram.com/triathlon_worldrecord_andy/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Andy</a> has set himself the incredible challenge of competing in 70 triathlons in 70 days. He’s been training for this for the past year and his first triathlon in the challenge takes place on April 4th 2022. However he says his greatest achievement has been being sober for the past 6 years. Inspiring and incredible, he’s already raised over €4000 for various charities. <h2>Chaz Wasserman</h2><a href="https://www.instagram.com/_chazzyboi_/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Chaz</a> is a South African pro MMA Fighter who is also co-owner of Pointbreak Fitness Centre in Cape Town. He is also a fitness trainer and life coach who firmly believes that ”Whatever you believe about yourself on the inside, is what you will manifest on the outside”. <h2>Chris Smalling</h2><a href="https://www.instagram.com/smalling/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Chris</a> is a British Footballer who plays for Italian club AS Roma. He and his wife are both vegan and in June of last year he invested in a Spanish vegan meat brand called Heura. He followed his wife in converting to a vegan diet. As he told Forbes magazine “…I realised my tastebuds weren’t more important than the pain of all of these animals and the future of the planet”. <h2>Fiona Oakes</h2><a href="https://www.instagram.com/oakes.fiona/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Fiona</a> has been vegan since the age of 6 and now holds four world records for marathon running. This is despite losing a kneecap due to a tumour at age 17. She owns and runs Towerhill Stables Animal Sanctuary where she cares for over 500 animals. Her book Running For Good is available now and proceeds go to the Animal Sanctuary <h2>James Wilks</h2><a href="https://www.instagram.com/lightningwilks/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">James</a> was born in Leicestershire and has not only been an MMA fighter he is a vegan activist and film producer responsible for the phenomenal “The Game Changers” a 2018 documentary film looking at the sports world evolving attitude to plant-based proteins. <img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/v-land/image/upload/v1661878040/Image_111_ab096a792d.png" alt="Man deadlifting a barbell">Victor Freitas <h2>Lawrence Okolie</h2><a href="https://www.instagram.com/lawrenceokolie/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Lawrence</a> ”The Sauce” Okolie, competed at the 2016 Rio Olympics and is now a professional boxer who holds the current WBO Cruiserweight title. He switched to a vegan diet because he was told that his energy levels would rise and he has never looked back. <h2>Mathew Pritchard</h2><a href="https://www.instagram.com/pritchardswyd/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Mathew</a> is a pro skateboarder and former tv daredevil and star of Dirty Sanchez and Balls of Steel. He now presents the BBC’s first vegan cookery show, Dirty Vegan which inspired the cookbooks of the same name. During lockdown he completed the challenge of rowing across the Atlantic to raise funds for Dean Farms Trust animal sanctuary, as well as Humen, a men’s mental health charity. <h2>Norma J Reynolds</h2>Although a shocking and horrific car crash almost wrecked her chances, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/normajreynolds/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Norma</a> has been a champion in the NFF (Natural Fit Federation) since 2018. She’s also a motivational coach and writes and publishes vegan recipes. Not only that she is also a singer/songwriter and linguist.

athlete running on a highway with landscape in the background

Can a vegan MMA fighter still kick ass? These 4 prove they can

How does a plant based diet help these famous vegan athletes?

5 Tokyo 2020 Olympians you didn’t know were vegan

9 athletes powered by plants