FIGHT WEEK NUTRITION (Guidebook)

FIGHT WEEK NUTRITION

Fight week presents a unique nutritional challenge for combat athletes.

Training load changes, body mass may need to be managed, weigh-ins can affect normal eating and drinking patterns, and there may be only a limited window to restore fluids, electrolytes, carbohydrate and energy before competition.

Fight Week Nutrition is a practical, evidence-based guide designed for MMA fighters, boxers, kickboxers and other combat sport athletes who want to approach fight week with a structured nutrition strategy.

The guide translates current sports nutrition and exercise physiology research into clear, practical recommendations that can be applied throughout fight week.

Inside the guide

You will learn how to:

• Structure nutrition during the final days before competition

• Manage carbohydrate and energy intake around fight week

• Approach body-mass management more strategically

• Understand the role of hydration and electrolytes

• Rehydrate and refuel effectively after weigh-in

• Structure pre-fight meals and snacks

• Maintain energy availability before competition

• Reduce the risk of unnecessary gastrointestinal discomfort

• Support physical and cognitive performance on fight day

• Develop a consistent and tested fight-week routine

• Identify common nutrition mistakes that can compromise performance

Rather than relying on extreme practices, last-minute decisions or combat-sport myths, this guide focuses on planning, physiology and practical application.

The objective is simple:

Arrive at competition properly fueled, hydrated and prepared to perform.

Every recommendation is built around scientific evidence and translated into practical strategies that fighters and coaches can understand and implement.

No unnecessary complexity.
No bro-science.
Just evidence-based fight-week nutrition designed for combat sports.

You spend months preparing to fight. Your nutrition during the final week should support that preparation, not compromise it.