The UFC homepage had this image up yesterday! How cool is that? Vegan and vegetarian men are kicking serious ass, and on April 30th, Jake Shields will be fighting for the welterweight championship! Who is hosting a party in NYC to watch?
Veg is the Rage in MMA & Whitewashing Milk
• Two articles in Yahoo Sports today outline at length, the growing trend of MMA athletes and fighters transitioning to and adopting a vegetarian or vegan diet for various reasons – and their positive results are measurable. In one, author Dave Meltzer focuses on the various reasons some fighters go or have gone veg (the full article HERE), and in the second, Meltzer focuses on Mac Dazig and Jon Fitch’s meal plan before his big fight (full article).
• A new book, “Whitewash” by Joseph Keon, takes on “The Disturbing Truth About Cow’s Milk and Your Health”. Here is the official description:
…In Whitewash, nutritionist Dr. Joseph Keon unveils how North Americans unwittingly sabotage their health every day by drinking milk, and he shows that our obsession with calcium is unwarranted.
Citing scientific literature, Whitewash builds an unassailable case that not only is milk unnecessary for human health, its inclusion in the diet may increase the risk of serious diseases including:
- Prostate, breast, and ovarian cancers
- Osteoporosis
- Diabetes
- Vascular disease
- Crohn’s disease
Mac Danzig’s $100K KO
by contributor, Pierre Grzybowski
Now that’s a battle cry. Vegan UFC fighter Mac Danzig scored a huge win Saturday night with a first-round knockout of Joe “Daddy” Stevenson—earning him an extra $100,000 for “Knockout of the Night.” As Stevenson advanced, Danzig stepped back and threw a left hook, ringing Stevenson’s bell, and toppling him face- first into the mat. Next up for veg fight fans: animal advocate Jake Shields will get his chance to strip Georges St. Pierre of the UFC welterweight title.
Noons’ Fight
Fighter KJ Noons to animal abusers: “Pick on someone your own size”
KJ Noons joins other professional fighters like Jake Shields, Mac Danzig, and the impressive list at www.knockoutdogfighting.org who have spoken up for animals.
Check out his new PSA against animal abuse and dog fighting.
KJ Noons’ 8-2 record includes wins over Nick Diaz to secure the EliteXC 160 pounds title, and a subsequent title defense against Yves Edwards. He most recently won his fight over Andre Amado at DREAM 13 in Japan.
KJ’s next fight is with Strikeforce Live on June 16.
Check out KJ’s website and fighter profile at Sherdog to learn more about the Hawaii native.
Etsy is for Dudes, Sundance Fur Fest & Futher Spillage
• We have green souls, right? Rachel Comey is back with more Vegan Spillers. This time, the cap-toe oxfords are in a beige canvas upper with a green sole. $208 at Steve Alan
• Planet Green weighs in on, the horror!!! - living without your Blackberry. “I was like Gollum in the Lord of the Rings, devoted to fondling My Precioussssss.”
• SUNDANCE FUR FESTIVAL : Heartless or Stupid? We know it’s hard for celebs to express how rich they are, but you’d think the creators of the The Green would have an anti-fur policy at their festival. Sundance has become known for it’s unhealthy association with fur-drenched celebs strutting around like idiots, literally. I mean you either have to not know how it’s made, or not have a heart. Usually the ladies are taking heat for wearing fur, but check out these images of some less-than-men I’d like to sic Mac Danzig on: Ashton Kutcher, Wesley Snipes, Nick Cannon, and Nick Hogan, all from the Sundance Film Festival in 2010. Find out what you can to help end this archaic industry.
• Six Reasons for Dudes to Hit on Etsy
1. Shoot dirt dead with gun soap scented with black tea! Practice your best Dirty Harry while scrubbing your hairy-dirty areas. vegan glycerin soap base and scented with black tea. $8.50
2. Yes, it’s OK to embrace the murse. But call it a portfolio and you’ll sound so much manlier. UNI-LAP portfolio case, vinyl $125
3. Find great one-of-a-kind vintage like this Vintage Tan Faux-Suede Jacket $40
4. Don’t Hurt the Bean Curd! Clever and/or offensive Organic cotton items like Tofu Never Screams and Small Hanging Wang Underwear! Also Skeletons and wings always make gentlemen happy.
5. Find rebellious ties and bow-ties from Toybreaker. Silk-like microfiber and nontoxic water-based inks, $10- $40
6. Stinky Bomb Lip Balm! Place some explosive kisses on your lover: candelilla wax, coconut oil and sweet almond oil, 5$
Danzig Wins, Hi-Top Brogues & Miami Dolphin’s Ricky Williams
Our favorite vegan tough-guy, Mac Danzig, won his bout against Justin Buchholz on the Feb. 7th, 2010 event, UFC 109 Relentless. Read the full article on UFC.com. Prior to the match, the fighters were asked in a video what their favorite junk-foods were. Danzig said, “Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies and Soy Ice Cream“. I’d have to agree, but I think coconut-cream based ice cream is a bit better…
Miami Dolphins’ running back Ricky Williams has a Heisman Trophy, a Maxwell Award, and is a Pro Bowl MVP – but he’s also a vegetarian who participated in a faux-chicken wing taste-test for PETA a few days go. Check out the video, but please don’t ask “duh..Ricky, where do you get your protein?”
Ricky is co-owner of a new restaurant, Proof, in Miami that has a lot of vegan options. The winning wings may have been gardein buffalo wings!
Nanny State, made by Dr. Shoes has some really cool, waxed canvas, tartan-lined, brogue boots in black, green, and brown.
Blood, Sweat, T-Shirts and Pay Per View Vegan MMA Action!
TV land is getting a fist-full of vegan power on Feb 6th 2010. King of the Cage World Champion and vegan, Mac Danzig will fight on a pay-per-view mixed martial arts event. It’s not often we have an excuse to head to a sports bar and shout out in support of our bad-ass brother! According to Planet Green, “Mac Danzig’s story is no longer so rare. Top vegan athletes include tennis legend, Martina Navratilova; long-distance runner Paavo Nurmi, winner of nine Olympic medals and holder of 20 world records; and Bill Pearl, four-time Mr. Universe. In addition, NFL star Tony Gonzalez and NHL “enforcer” Georges Laraque of Haiti are vegans who have taken their lifestyle to the activist level. Don’t forget about these 10 superstar athletes who don’t eat meat, either.”
Speaking of Planet Green, don’t miss the awesome series “Blood, Sweat and T-Shirts” that showcases the true cost of fashion. It’s what MTV wishes it was: Road Rules with a brain and a heart. “…six young fashion fanatics swap shopping for the backstreets of India to live and work like the people who make the clothes they wear.” WATCH VIDEO: Blood, Sweat and T-Shirts: Tracing Clothes to the Source
And check out Stacey Dooley’s Spinoff “Kids for Sale”:
Lean & Green: Jake Shields
He’s anything but beefy. Jake Shields is the clean cut, handsome, Mixed Martial Arts champ that has more buzz floating around him than a beehive. Raised in the mountains of northern California, home-schooled, and brought up vegetarian since birth, Jake is rocking both the MMA world and the vegetarian community. He is the Elite XC Welterweight Champion, and he holds one of only three Gracie Jiu-Jitsu black belts ever earned. Jake voted Yes on Prop 2 in California, and he’s just opened his own gym in Berkley, where he teaches jiu jitsu and plans on taking his career all the way to the top. Like Mac Danzig and the Diaz brothers, Jake Shields is yet another pro fighter responding to the cliché myth that vegetarians are weak with a swift kick to the head.
I got a chance to catch up with Jake recently about fighting, food, and teaching. Here is the interview:
Discerning Brute: Why do you fight?
Jake Shields: I’ve always loved to compete and MMA is competition to the max.
DB: There are so many myths about being vegetarian like you can’t get enough protein or you will be sick and weak. How would you respond to this as an athlete?
JS: Well I’m a life-long vegetarian and the diet obviously works. I also have two brothers that are strong and healthy. But you do have to have a good balanced diet and eat healthy foods. There’s plenty of ways to get protein other than eating meat.
DB: What was it like growing up veg?
JS: Never really felt any different. I never thought anything about it and nobody ever bothered me about it.
DB: What’s been your greatest accomplishment as an athlete?
JS: A lot of different things come to mind in grappling and MMA. But winning the RUMBLE ON THE ROCK TOURNAMENT was probably one of the best. It was an eight man tournament with 5 top ten fighters, Anderson Silva, Frank Trigg, Yushin Okami, Carlos Condit, Dave Menne & Renato Verissimo. I fought two really tough fights in one night against Yushim Okami and Carlos Condit in the finals.
DB: What kind of slack have you taken from teammates or opponents about your veg diet? Was your lifestyle ever an issue with your trainers or coaches?
JS: I haven’t really ever had any problem with anyone about my diet. The only problem is sometimes it’s hard to find good food when I’m traveling.
DB: What advice would you give anyone who wants to start training in martial arts?
JS: Find a good school and go for it. Train hard.
DB: What other veg fighters have you met or do you know. Is there a camaraderie there?
JS: There’s actually a number of them. Nick and Nate Diaz are practically vegetarian. There’s a lot of camaraderie among all the fighters, veggie or not.
DB: Would you consider fighting Mac Danzing in a VeggieBattle? That would be fun!
Ya, that’d be great–then I’d be King of the Vegie Fighters! But he’d have to come up, I’m not going down in weight.
DB: What’s next in your plans. Do you have an ultimate goal? A retirement plan?
JS: I just want to fight the best and be the best. I really love fighting. I won’t be retiring until I don’t love it anymore. I also like to teach. I’ve been teaching Gracie jiu jitsu and MMA since 2002 and just opened my own gym in Berkley a couple of weeks ago.
DB:Complete the sentence: In a perfect world…
JS: …I’ll be the UFC Champion next year.
For more info on Jake, click:
DB’s Etiquette Recommendation: There are tons of resources for vegan MMA Gear. Both Vitamins & Minerals of Brazil, and Everlast make decent non-leather MMA gloves. In addition, Combat Sport International, has 3 styles of vegan gloves, and UFC has several vegan gloves.
A Discerning Brute: Mac Danzig
Mac Danzig is one tough vegan mo’fo’. Most mainstream athletes and trainers are not only skeptical of the vegan lifestyle – but they tend to ridicule it – imagining vegans to be frail, pale, and weak – and subscribing to outdated and dis-proven fallacies like the ‘protein myth’ and ‘calcium myth’.
Touché. Mac has won numerous world titles in smaller organizations on his way to the UFC and is not only a fighter, but also a teacher of mixed martial arts in Hollywood California. A vegan, naturalist, animal rights activist and serious photographer, Danzig transcends the typical stereotype of a combat athlete.
Mac recently appeared in the Wall Street Journal article entitles “The 247 lb. Vegan” (thanks to Karen of Dawnwatch for the link) about the NFL star Tony Gonzalez and other pro-athletes who’ve tried the vegan diet like the NBA’s Salim Stoudamire of the Atlanta Hawks.
“From humble beginnings, to a meteoric rise towards the highest ranks of mixed martial arts, last month, on a vegan diet of brown-rice protein, beans, soy, nuts and vegetables, Mr. Danzig defeated the last of his challengers in Spike TV’s “The Ultimate Fighter.” – WSJ
“…When fight fans learned Mr. Danzig was a vegan, some said they didn’t think he’d have the strength, or the stomach, to conquer the ultra-violent sport, which combines kick-boxing and wrestling. “It’s about animal rights,” Mr. Danzig says, “not human rights.” – WSJ
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Protein Shake for the Vegan Athlete:
If you’re into martial arts and looking for a good, vegan MMA glove – The folks on the Vegan Fittness Forum pointed out both Vitamins & Minerals of Brazil, and Everlast as makers of decent non-leather MMA gloves.
