Issue 051
June 2009
In his UFC debut John Hathaway demonstrated an incredibly fast pace as he battered Irish opponent Tom Egan into defeat after only four and half minutes.
In order to maintain this high-octane go-for-broke style, the Brighton fighter goes the extra mile in training and keeps himself topped up with the latest nutritional products on the market.
Shorts
“I’ve got a pair of Hitman fight shorts which was actually the first pair of MMA shorts that I bought. I quite like wearing them, but it’s more for sentimental value. I like wearing the Grapple Wear shorts and I’ve got some Tapout shorts as well.”
Grapple Wear are famous for the two sets of stretch panels which are stitched into their shorts. Does the innovation have the desired effect? “It doesn’t make a massive difference,” John concluded, “but just a little slight difference can mean all the difference in the end.”
Gumshield
Hathaway knows the value of his custom-made mouth guard. “I’ve played rugby my whole life, so I used ‘boil and bite’ gumshields until I was 16 when I got my first dentist-made one, and I’ve never changed back. The boil and bite don’t always fit right, you know? It’s hit and miss”
The Brighton fighter went on to explain. “Sometimes you get one and it fits perfect, sometimes you mould it and it barely stays in your mouth! It’s dropping out the whole time or you’re chewing it at the back of your mouth – boil-and-bites can be a nightmare sometimes.”
Where does ‘The Hitman’ keep his Gumshield?
“Most MMA shorts nowadays have little pockets inside, so between [rounds], when I’m sitting around listening to instructions I can just slip it in that pocket. Otherwise, it’s always in my kitbag in its case, and it gets washed after every training session.”
MMA sparring gloves
“I normally always go with Grapple Wear sparring gloves, but if I want to be fancy I put on a pair of UFC gloves that I was given! The only other gloves I’ve ever used are the Fairtex gloves. I found that a lot more people got injured and cut with them. With the Grapple Wear ones, the actual sewing of the gloves is slightly better.”
What piece of kit can’t you do without?
“My supplements from Reflex nutrition. I take some of the strange things that they get; a mushroom which actually helps your body adapt to exercise and different types of open ocean krill oil, which is just essential fatty acids.
“They do this after-workout drink which is basically sugars with proteins. You don’t want anything complex straight after a work out, you want something quick to get into your body and replace what you’ve lost. The shakes almost forces you to have smaller meals in the day, so if you’re having a protein shake it counts as one of the six or seven meals you are having a day.”
What is your favourite piece of kit?
“Probably my Cleto Reyes [boxing gloves], because I paid more than I would normally pay for a pair of boxing gloves! They are something fancy, so they are a nice pair of gloves to have in the bag. I’ve got a lot of use out of them and I’m still getting quite a bit of use out of them now. They fit really well to my hand, I feel that they give me lots of protection and support.”
John Hathaway spoke with Jim Page
