The Fight Science Podcast

Alexa is a Registered Dietitian who holds a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition Sciences and Dietetics and a Masters of Science in Dietetics.

She is the former Performance Nutrition Coordinator at the UFC Performance Institute Las Vegas and recently started her own private practice, Alexa Eisenberg Nutrition.

Alexa has a plethora of knowledge that is applicable for not only athletes but the general population as well. I have asked her to come on today so we can clear the air on some common Nutrition misconceptions.

'Lightning' Mike Angove is a former world champion kickboxer and professional boxer. He is New Zealand’s leading combat sports analyst and commentator and is often found in the commentary box for many of New Zealand’s major events.

Mike is also one of the coaches at world renowned City Kickboxing, home of UFC Middleweight Champ Israel Adesanya, UFC Featherweight Champ Alexander Volkanovski, Dan Hooker, Brad Riddell, Kai Kara France, Shane Young and a stack of contenders on the rise.

I’ve gotten Mike on the podcast to chat about two things; the coaching systems at Citykickboxing and to talk about the rich history of Combat Sports across Australia and New Zealand to give some context of how this history has shaped one of the best gyms in modern combat sports.

Dr. Georgie is the Senior Sports Scientists and research scientist at Orreco, a leading sports data and analytics company.

She has completed a Bachelor science with honours in physiological science at the University of Bristol. She also has completed a PhD from University College London focusing on iron deficiency, the menstrual cycle, and the female athlete.

In this episode, Dr. Georgie talks us through the practical considerations that coaches need to think about for their female athletes.

Dave 'Woody' Wood is an intensive care paramedic who has spent the majority of his life in very stressful situations.

This combined with a serious injury, that led to chronic pain, caused Woody to look for a natural but effective method to deal with these internal and external stresses. This is where he found the science of breathing.

Woody's Movement Workshop is Woody's High Performance Centre that teaches athletes the art and science of breathing to reach peak performance and promote maximal recovery. He does this by helping individuals better understand their own breathing and then teaching them various techniques to utilise different components of their Autonomic Nervous System.

Sound too good to be true? Well not for some of New Zealand's most elite level fighters. Woody has been using these techniques with huge success with world renowned City Kickboxing and has been making their elite level athletes even more elite.

In this episode we discuss Woody's journey and what it is exactly that he does with these athletes to get such impactful results.

Dr. Nikole Maclellan is a Naturopathic Doctor and Dietitian who specialises in Sports Medicine and Pain Management.

Dr. Maclellan specialises in Female Athlete physiology and in this episode we speak about the menstrual cycle, what is considered normal during each phase of the cycle, the potential performance implications of each phase, oral contraceptives and how to reconcile all of this into practice.

Chef Mario Limaduran is the Executive Chef at Trifecta Nutrition who is the official partner and service provider of the UFC.

Chef Mario works alongside the UFC Performance Institute Nutrition team to feed UFC athletes during their Fight Weeks to ensure they are making weight in the safest and scientific manner possible.

In this episode we discuss the monumental task of feeding UFC Fight Island. Chef Mario discusses the unique challenges it presented and how his team is overcoming them.

Chris Kirk is a Ph.D. researcher at Liverpool John Moores University where he is studying the physiological demands of mixed martial arts.

I have invited Chris back to discuss his most recent papers, the first of which is the first piece of evidence in the literature to demonstrate that weight regain after rapid weight loss is not associated with competitive success in high level Mixed Martial Artists.

We also discuss his research in studying workload during training and the gaps in research when studying Mixed Martial Artists.

Dean is the Director of MMA at the UFC Performance Insititute in Shanghai, China. Dean, alongside the other staff at the PI, are responsible for coordinating the development of the academy athletes who are part of the Performance Institute team.

In this episode, we discuss Dean's own MMA career, his coaching career, how he came to be working at the UFC PI, and how his team coordinate and develop the academy athletes. There's a lot to get through so let's get to it.

Dr. Fundaro has A Ph.D. in Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise, from Virginia Tech. She is a Monash low-FODMAP certified and ISSN-certified sports nutritionist, and ACE-certified health coach.

In this episode, we discuss common myths in regards to the microbiome, what dietary patterns seem to be favorable for good gut health, why to show caution when reading science on social media and we discuss the science behind fecal transplants.

Louise Bloor is a Performance Nutritionist who for the better part of the last decade has worked with the British Judo Association.

In this time Louise has rallied to change the culture and behaviours of the athletes when it comes to making weight.

In this episode, we discuss the difficulties she faced early in her career, the importance of engaging coaches and stakeholders, implementing policy around making weight, and the changes she has seen in her time with the association.