A: There are so many aspects to a fight camp, it’s so hard to give one as most important, but confidence is essential so anything related to strategy and fitness will play a big part.
Q: Do you find it difficult to recover from a big fight?
A: My last fight was on New Years Eve in Japan. I won and didn’t take a lot of damage, but one huge knee to my chest still hurt for about 6 weeks after. THAT sort of thing can be difficult to recover from! The difficult part is getting back into that full time grind again, it’s a scary prospect that I know very well from my 25 pro fights.
Q: As well as a successful career in MMA, you once held the title of Britain’s Strongest Man. How do these two disciplines differ in terms of preparing, fueling and recovery?
A: A big difference is the strongman requires energy in much smaller bursts up to 90 seconds max, as opposed to 3 x 5 min rounds. Both require high energy carbs fats protein, with strongman I could literally eat anything with no restrictions. Once I made the switch to MMA I dropped from 145kg to 112kg, fortunately my knowledge about nutrition has improved since and I work with a great team. I actually eat around 6 times a day, so being able to spend less time in the kitchen was made a lot easier thanks to the great support I’ve had from Gold Standard Nutrition.
Q: What does your diet look like?
A: Gold Standard Nutrition steam cooked chicken fillets are always in my freezer, fact. I have always relied on chicken as my main source of protein and having it precooked means I don’t have any excuses to not prep meals.I have found some of the new products to be a bonus, like the smoothies , I always start my day with an oats, fruit and veg smoothie and have enjoyed the ready made smoothie packs a lot. Grass fed steak and mince offers a little relief from the mass of chicken I get through and is very lean.
Q: Anything else to mix it up?
I have been using the new
GSN sauces recently and find these help make things a little different. Very helpful when you eat the same meal 6 times a day, variety is key!
Q: Does your diet change the closer to a fight you get?
A: usually switch up my diet when about 6 weeks out from a fight, oats in the morning, then
sweet potato is my only carb source outside of masses of veg and some fruit. The average breakfast smoothie contains oats, banana , blueberries, spinach, broccoli, almond milk and some good quality protein powder.
Q: What does the future hold for you?
A: I will be fighting very soon and I guarantee it will be a huge one, I have not fought since winning the IGF world title in Tokyo NYE, it’s been longer than I would of liked and a few big names have turned down fights with me during this time but I am excited to reveal the details, keep your eyes peeled!
Q: Thanks Oli.
