Fighters Only

Issue 094

November 2012

Former Bellator bantamweight champ Zach Makovsky reveals his dairy-free diet

What are the five essentials inside your fridge?

“Firstly, lots of fruit. I eat fruit constantly. I really like hummus, pita bread, almond milk – I’ve given up on dairy – and finally some sort of lean meat. I don’t eat red meat like pork, but something like fish or chicken is good because you always need some protein.”

Do you have a cheat meal for when you’re in training camp?

“Not especially. I pretty much eat really clean, but if I love something then I won’t hold back. I’ve really been on a Sour Patch Kids binge, especially lately as I’ve been having trouble putting on weight, and keeping it on, too. I’ve been trying to get extra calories here and there. When I start eating them I can’t stop.”

Do you keep anything other than frozen peas in your freezer?

“I usually keep something like sorbet in there. It’s usually something that’s sweet. Maybe something like coconut milk ice cream… And a bottle of alcohol, most likely a bottle of gin.”

What is your favorite bottled sauce?

“I usually go for tangier sauce.”

If you could have any sort of dessert, what would it be?

“I’m not really sure. It’s been difficult to have desserts now that I’ve given up dairy, but I’d say something like soya ice cream or coconut milk ice cream.”

What is your signature dish?

“Probably nothing. I pretty much make nothing at all (laughs). My girlfriend does most of the cooking.”

What meal do you eat right after the weigh-ins?

“We always find a PF Chang’s restaurant. It’s been a tradition we’ve had since 2009. Even when I’ve fought on a Bellator card and we’ve been in Kansas City and we’ve had to take a taxi 30 miles out to find a PF Chang’s, it’s what we’ll do.”

Which nationality of food is your favorite to eat?

“I would probably say Chinese or Japanese. Definitely some kind of Asian cuisine.”

If you could only have three meals for the rest of your life, what would they be?

“One of those meals would be sushi. Then I’d have some nice Italian pasta and some sort of vegetable dish. But you need to know how to cook a vegetarian meal, otherwise it’s going to taste terrible.”