Former World`s Strongest Man Eddie Hall adopted a carnivore diet to shed weight for his upcoming MMA debut next week.
The 2017 World’s Strongest Man champion is set to face five-time champion Mariusz Pudzianowski at KSW 105 in Gliwice, Poland, on April 26. Hall is expected to weigh in at 341lb for the fight.
Hall`s previous combat sports experience includes a boxing match against Hafthor Bjornsson and a `Freak Fight` MMA bout. However, this upcoming match marks his first official MMA contest after two years of training.
Carnivore Diet Key to Eddie Hall`s Weight Loss for MMA
To prepare for his MMA debut, Eddie Hall followed a strict carnivore diet, focusing on meat, eggs, and dairy. This diet, while controversial, helped him lose weight while maintaining muscle mass.
Hall started his weight loss journey at 170kg (374lb) and aims to fight at 155kg (341lb). In an interview, he stated that his diet consists solely of meat, eggs, and dairy.
“It’s been a pretty good diet, helped me to maintain all of my muscle mass and I’ve dropped body fat. My energy levels are through the roof, my endurance is insane so that’s pretty much been the diet.”
“I’ve not restricted what I eat at all, I just eat meat, eggs and dairy and as much of it as I want. The body fat’s come off. When I started the prep I was 170kg and I’m down to 158kg. I might even lose a bit more and be strict, that would get me to fighting at around 155-156kg.”
“I feel good and the main thing about it is that with my training it’s not about the weight but how fit I am. Am I doing these four minute rounds and being able to recover within 90 seconds to go again? At the minute, I can say yes. I’ve got no intention to lose too much weight because the cardio is there.”
Hall Prioritizes Size and Power in MMA
While many athletes transitioning from strongman to combat sports cut significant weight for cardio, Eddie Hall believes in retaining size and power for MMA. Hafthor Bjornsson, for example, lost over 110lb for their boxing match.
Despite losing weight from his peak strongman weight of 434lb, Hall remains a large and muscular athlete at 341lb. He believes his strength is an advantage in MMA.
“I’m strong and I’m a big believer that taking that into MMA makes you more dangerous,” he explained. “Mariusz proved that point when he first came into MMA and fought around 140kg, his size and strength; people were just s— scared of him.”
“I’ve never heard a fighter come out of a fight and say ‘I wish I was weaker for that fight’. Never heard that, as long as you’re fit enough be as fit as you can be.”
