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Phil Hawes is one of the most exciting middleweights on the UFC roster. He is an explosive power-puncher with a breadth of fast-twitch muscle fibers. He is muscled like an ox, with bulging shoulders and arms of steel, and didn't even seem too outsized by Daniel Cormier.
His physique is impressive even by the standards of his fellow UFC fighters, who all train to prime their bodies for physical combat with men equally trained to do the same. In an interview with GQ, Phil Hawes referred to himself as the most well-muscled fighter in the UFC.
He referenced Francis Ngannou—who has since left the promotion—and former middleweight title challenger Paulo Costa as the only fighters who match his physique. So exactly how did 'No Hype' achieve such a hulking build? Hard training and dieting, and these are five takeaways from his regimen.
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#5. Phil Hawes' MMA training
There's a reason why Phil Hawes is so capable of producing highlight-reel knockouts like his 18-second flattening of Jacob Malkoun. His training is intense. This is especially true whenever he trains on Thai soil. He wakes up early morning at 6:45 a.m. and runs for an hour.
Afterwards, he links up with his boxing coach and hits the mitts for an hour between 8:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. An hour later, he undergoes Brazilian jiu-jitsu training for an hour before heading home at 11:30 a.m., where he rests and readies himself for the day's remaining training sessions.
According to Phil Hawes, his training doesn't end in the morning and includes very intense sessions in the afternoon as well, with more Brazilian jiu-jitsu sessions, which are clearly paying dividends as even a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt like Kyle Daukaus was unable to submit him.
#4. Phil Hawes focuses more on high-intensity cardio than weightlifting
Despite what his physique implies, Phil Hawes doesn't lift weight as arduously or frequently as some might assume. While he does indeed lift weights, typically every Tuesday, he is focused on trying to increase his speed and cardio. He has adopted HIIT workouts into his routine.
These are high-intensity interval training exercises which involve explosive workouts with short recovery periods. Hawes focuses on rowing and box jumps to try and improve his speed and explosiveness. This comes at the cost of weightlifting, which he doesn't do extensively.
During his high school days, he played American football and regularly lifted weights. He continued lifting weights, especially using power-cleans, when he focused on wrestling in his college years. Since then, he has done the necessary work to maintain his muscularity but no longer adds to it.
#3. Phil Hawes' MMA diet
While half of his work is done in the gym, the other half requires a steady MMA diet from the kitchen. According to him, his daily caloric intake is currently at 2,000. The food he consumes to reach this number consists mainly of oatmeal and egg whites with minimal fat intake.
Phil Hawes structures his diet so that he eats carbohydrates prior to training and proteins after training to accelerate his recovery. Under the supervision of his nutritionist, he has 50 grams of oats, 50 grams of egg whites with some protein powder and 100 grams of berries for his breakfast.
He weighs everything he eats so that he always has a tight grasp on the exact calories he's consuming. For lunch, he eats plenty of salads with a few carbohydrates. For dinner, he eats his remaining 500 calories for the day, with lean proteins, vegetables and brown rice.
If he wants a snack, he favors low-fat yogurt and adds flavor drops to improve its taste.
#2. Water-loading: How Phil Hawes prepares for his weight cuts
'No Hype' is currently scheduled to face streaking UFC debutant Ikram Aliskerov, whose record currently stands at 13 wins and just one loss to Khamzat Chimaev. The pair will lock horns at UFC 288. To prepare for his bouts, Phil Hawes must also be primed for his weight cuts so that he is in proper shape for his fights.
His diet is part of his weight-cutting regimen as it ensures that he doesn't gain a significant amount of weight whenever he doesn't have a fight scheduled. He diets down to a reasonable weight and begins his cut. He also water-loads by drinking large amounts of water, about two gallons per day, from ten days out.
In doing so, he dupes his body into assuming it has a continuous source of fluid intake, causing him to sweat and urinate more than usual due to the body's belief that he'll be continuously rehydrated. Upon successfully tricking his body, he stops drinking water almost entirely.
Instead, he continues his high-intensity exercises while also using the sauna to sweat off his remaining water weight, allowing him to complete the arduous task of losing between 15 to 20 pounds in a single night.
#1. Phil Hawes doesn't drink alcohol
At one point, Phil Hawes was a training partner of all-time great Jon Jones. While his more famous teammate achieved infamy for partying prior to his fights, Phil Hawes is different. He is no Conor McGregor, who has been spotted drinking ahead of his clash with Michael Chandler.
Instead, Hawes refrains from drinking alcohol altogether due to its negative effects on his body and fitness. He also referenced boxing GOAT-claimant Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s decision to refrain from drinking. 'No Hype' takes inspiration from Mayweather Jr.'s stance.
His logic is simple. If even Floyd Mayweather Jr., one of the greatest boxers of all time, doesn't drink, why would he think that he could get away with doing so at no cost to his performance?
