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While Conor McGregor has very loudly cemented himself as the king of the UFC, Cody Garbrandt has quietly positioned himself to be the prince in waiting. He’s got the looks, he’s got the tattoos, and he’s knocked out nine of the 10 men who have stepped into the octagon with him. Next up? A championship bout against vet Dominick Cruz at UFC 207 with the chance to silence some of the critics who still believe him unready for the crown. We caught up with the bantamweight contender smack-dab in the middle of his training camp to find out what exactly a guy eyeing gold should be putting in his body.

GQ: I find the diets of professional fighters to be so interesting because of how much stress you all put your bodies through. What would you say is the most crucial part of your diet?

Cody Garbrandt: Hydration. Your body is made up of something like 60 percent water. So if you’re constantly draining yourself and dehydrating yourself in your training sessions, you constantly have to be on top of drinking enough water to rehydrate.

Do you have any tricks to ensure that you’re getting enough water throughout the day?

The quickest time to rehydrate is right after you’re done training, so I’m always carrying these gallons of water to drink, drink, drink so my body can recover faster. And that’s a huge part of being able to take damage, by the way. If you’re hydrated, your brain is lubricated, you can take bigger shots. So for a lot of these fighters who cut a lot of weight, when they get hit, they’re just depleted. They’re getting knocked out because they’re cutting too much weight.

Right now you’re in the middle of a training camp, preparing for the biggest fight of your career. Does anything about your diet change when you’re in a camp versus the rest of the year?

I really enjoy eating healthy. My body feels better, I perform better. So even outside of a camp, I’m just always keeping ready and taking care of my body. I can’t really eat bad foods and be able to get better in the off-season or outside of a camp. I’ll have cheat meals, but I’m usually eating clean both inside and outside of camp. The only time where it starts to change is towards the latter part of camp—you know, two and a half to three weeks out. If I have to, I’ll start cutting my protein down.

A portion control thing?

Yeah, going from six to eight ounces to four to five ounces of protein. I’m not training as hard in those last two weeks, I’m starting to taper off, so I’ll cut down on the proteins and I’ll add more vegetables like broccoli.

I have to imagine that when you’re really in the thick of a training camp that you’re consuming a lot of food throughout the day to keep you going.

A normal day for me is breakfast, lunch, and dinner with either a smoothie or a bar in-between my training sessions to give me a little bit of energy until my next meal.

How many training sessions are we talking here?

Three. So I usually wake up and have eggs, turkey bacon, some toast, and maybe throw some oatmeal in there. I’ll usually have coffee with MCT oil too and then I go off to the gym to get my first session in. After that first session I come home and usually within an hour window I’ll have something like salmon, tilapia, or chicken. Those six to eight ounces of protein. I’ll do a carb with some brown rice. Some zucchini. Broccoli, asparagus, all that stuff. And of course I’m drinking my water. Over a gallon of water a day. Then I’ll take a couple hours off, do my next training session, go to the chiropractor or whatever.

I’m assuming around that time is when something like a protein shake comes into play?

Exactly. I’ll have a smoothie with protein, berries, bananas, coconut water, and spinach for more greens. Some almond butter, some good fats. My last training session is between four and six or six and eight, and directly after that I’m eating dinner. Dinner is usually pretty similar to lunch—six to eight ounces of protein. I’ll do some ground turkey. A little bit of carbs. Not too much since I’m done training for the day. Dinner usually has more broccoli and greens. I really fill up on the greens around then.

As you’ve progressed in your career, have you made any major changes to your diet leading up to a fight?

When I was younger I didn’t have the luxury of eating organic. I’m from Ohio, so not much to choose from in Ohio in terms of organic places to eat from. I’ve been working with a dietician and a nutritionist since the beginning of this year. Now we’re doing my meal prep and meal plans for both inside and outside of camp, which has been amazing.

Are you the type of athlete who wants to learn when working with a nutritionist, or is it more so, “Just tell me when to put what in my body and I’ll do it”?

If I’m feeling kind of fatigued after a certain workout, I’ll ask what I should be eating. Should I add more of this? I’m always asking questions about my body, but I usually have it down. I mean, I know what to eat in order to perform during my training sessions and to recover for my next one. But you don’t learn unless you ask questions. Plus my body is always changing because the training is always changing.

Do you have a ritual meal for the night before a fight?

Of course. What we eat today, we use tomorrow. So after the weigh-ins I do my rehydration and then I do a dinner of salmon, spinach, and sweet potatoes. Sushi, too. Some rice, some carbs. Some sodium to help hold your food in. I’ve been eating that since probably my second pro fight.

Same question, but for after you knock a dude out.

I like to snack. I love the S’mores Pop-Tarts. Usually after a fight I get Pop-Tarts and cereal. I like eating like crap for two days and then get back into the gym. But I’ll snack on some Twix or some s’mores.

I think you’re the only person alive who actually likes s’mores-flavored Pop-Tarts.

I love them. I have the biggest sweet tooth.

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