Nate Diaz will return to action this weekend at UFC 263 to fight Leon Edwards in the first-ever non-title non-main event five-round fight in the promotion’s history.

Ahead of the historical fight, we look at the diet of Diaz, who is a long-time vegan. His brother Nick brought him into the vegan lifestyle. In an age where most of the UFC fighters overly depend on meat, it’s surprising that one of the toughest fighters doesn’t consume meat.

In fact, Nate doesn’t even consume any dairy poultry products. He is mostly dependent on plant-based foods and seldom eats eggs. It all started after one of his fights. He consumed nothing other than a vegan diet before the fight. But after the contest, he was enjoying himself with cheese and other foods. That left him feeling uncomfortable for over a month.

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Hence, Diaz decided that enough is enough. He believes he doesn’t need meat in his diet and there’s no craving on his part for meat or other such products.

“Who’s the real beast? [Eating predominantly raw and vegan] is more savvy and animalistic than anything. If anything, meat’s gonna slow you down,” said Diaz to Men’s Journal.

Nate Diaz explains how his brother Nick influenced him to be vegan

Like most things in Nate’s life, Nick influenced him in taking up a vegan diet too. The former Strikeforce champion himself follows a vegan diet. His little brother followed in his footsteps.

Also Read: Who Is Nate Diaz’s Brother Nick Diaz?

“Me and my brother are at the top of the game and have been for a long time. We’re obviously doing something right,” said Diaz. “Besides knowing how to kick somebody in the head, you should know how to feel good tomorrow,” he further added.

It’s truly fascinating to see two of the toughest fighters in the history of the sport take up veganism. No doubt their methods have repaid them. Will Diaz‘s diet help the 36-year-old have an advantage over Edwards despite having not fought for almost two years.