CAPONUTRITION

CAPONUTRITION Perform like a professional athlete, eat like an authentic Italian

Over the years, our coaching has been shaped by a few core principles.They will stay with us in 2026, whether we are wor...
01/05/2026

Over the years, our coaching has been shaped by a few core principles.
They will stay with us in 2026, whether we are working with world-class athletes or recreational ones, and they exist to protect performance, development, and longevity.
One of them is simple but often ignored: during developmental years, skill acquisition must remain the priority.
Young athletes should not be cutting weight.
This does not mean avoiding body composition work or health education.
It means not applying adult, high-risk weight-cutting strategies to athletes who are still growing.
Combat sports are skill-based sports. The skills come first.
Another idea that keeps resurfacing is the concept of being “fat-adapted” for high-intensity performance.
The claim is that, with low carbohydrate intake, the body can rely on fats as a primary fuel source at high intensity.
Physiology does not support this.
No adaptation replaces carbohydrates in this context.
We use carbohydrates extensively, often pasta, because it reflects Italian culture, but rice, potatoes, grains, farro, buckwheat, amaranth, and many others are great options too.

12/26/2025

I have just released on my YouTube channel the latest videoblog from the final numbered UFC event of the ESPN era. As always, I worked with Marvin Vettori to close an extremely demanding and challenging year.

Not every night ends the way we plan, but every fight leaves lessons, data, and experience to build on. The work continues, with clarity and purpose. And pasta.

One of the most common mistakes I see among both professional and recreational athletes is taking the latest scientific ...
12/24/2025

One of the most common mistakes I see among both professional and recreational athletes is taking the latest scientific paper, reading the conclusion, and immediately applying it to their own nutrition or supplementation.

Science does not exist in a vacuum.

Every study must be interpreted within its context.
Who was the population studied?
Was the trial randomized?
Was there a placebo?
And, most importantly, can these results truly be applied to the everyday life of athletes?

Today we are discussing a paper published just a few days ago that examines carbohydrate and protein supplementation in the post-workout window. There are certainly scenarios in which this strategy can be useful and appropriate. However, applicability to real-world practice is where the discussion becomes critical.

In this study, one major variable was not adequately considered if we aim to apply these findings to the daily reality of athletes: whether the participants trained in a fully fasted state or not. This is a key point.

In real-world settings, many athletes and nutritionists adopt a food-first approach. Solid food is consumed pre-workout whenever possible, and supplements are used strategically, only when necessary.

When an athlete arrives at training having eaten a proper pre-workout meal, the interpretation of post-workout supplementation data changes substantially. Without accounting for this variable, there is a real risk of overextending the conclusions and promoting unnecessary supplementation.

We live in a time where supplementation often takes center stage, even when it is not strictly needed. A skilled practitioner understands when supplements add value and when they do not. Much like an experienced physician, who prescribes medication when appropriate, but avoids overprescription and always considers the full picture.

Evidence matters.
Context matters more.

Most elite athletes operate with an energy and macronutrient intake that is substantially different from the average pop...
12/16/2025

Most elite athletes operate with an energy and macronutrient intake that is substantially different from the average population.
This is the nutritional strategy we implemented with Dante in the weeks leading up to his bronze medal at IBJJF Worlds last weekend.

Dante chose to move up a weight class without bulking.
He competed at Heavyweight while maintaining his natural bodyweight of approximately 78 kg or 172 lbs.
These slides show exactly what his daily intake looked like.

One key point I want to discuss is sugar intake. In this case, sugars came primarily from fruit and cold-pressed juices.
While excessive sugar intake is inappropriate for the general population, it plays a functional role in high-level athletic performance.
On days with two training sessions, including sugar becomes a practical and effective way to rapidly replenish glycogen stores and support performance in the following session.
Context is always king.

Yesterday was an important milestone. Italian cuisine was officially recognized as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, ...
12/11/2025

Yesterday was an important milestone. Italian cuisine was officially recognized as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, the first culinary tradition in the world to receive this honor.

Italy and the United States have always shared a strong connection, strengthened by generations of Italian Americans who helped shape the country’s food culture. Yet over the years the focus has often been on recreating Italian recipes rather than embracing the lifestyle that makes those recipes meaningful. Conviviality, taking the time to sit together, and treating meals as shared moments are integral parts of Italian cuisine, and they change the way food is experienced. I notice this often during Fight Weeks. When we stay in an Airbnb rather than a hotel and we sit down to eat as a team, the atmosphere shifts. Slowing down and sharing a meal creates a different kind of energy that supports both physiology and performance.

That mindset is something we bring into our work, helping athletes develop sustainable habits that fit their life.

12/10/2025

What a journey it’s been so far.
14 years since I wrote my first message on an Italian mma forum. Time flies!

12/08/2025

UFC Qatar — the vlogs are back.

This Reel is a short preview from my fight-week vlog for the Arman Tsarukyan vs Dan Ho**er bout. Subscribers to the CapoNutrition newsletter will receive the full video by email tonight.

The full episode is a behind-the-scenes look at our week in Qatar including training moments, weight-management work, recovery sessions, and the practical side of performance nutrition as it happens. This clip is only a small part of a longer video that gives you real footage of how we approach making weight and restoring performance for competition.

But we won’t stop until we get what we want.
11/28/2025

But we won’t stop until we get what we want.

11/26/2025

Not all weight cuts are the same.
Individual sweat rate is a critical variable, and Edmen Shahbazyan is in the top one percent for how efficiently he can produce sweat. After more than ten cuts together we have refined a protocol where he can drop about five pounds in around forty minutes and about seven pounds in roughly one hour while keeping heart rate low and controlled.

For this camp we placed an Assault Bike in his home and set up a screen in front of it to keep the work calm and focused. First signs of sweating came at minute seven and by minute fifteen he was already pouring. By alternating upper body only work with pedaling phases and adding short breaks as needed, we reached the target weight smoothly.

We started at six fifteen in the morning and he was already under the shower and resting around seven forty five. no unnecessary friction. Friday is our refeed segment and it lays the foundation for peak performance on fight day.

Full video drops tonight.

11/24/2025

This year started in the hardest possible way. What should have been a weekend that changed our lives became a real nightmare. Moments like that test people. Under pressure instincts could take over. But from that Friday in Los Angeles we stayed united and we spent a full year working for the performance you saw last night.

I filmed this yesterday afternoon just a few hours before Arman walked into the arena. Among the ingredients for our refuel I found a really good panettone at a supermarket here in Qatar and decided to include it in our protocol as a small symbolic gesture. In Italian we say tagliare il panettone which literally means cutting the panettone and figuratively means making it to the end of a tough road.
Thank you for the support!

Qatar photo dump | Team Tsarukyan | November 2025One of my favorite fight weeks ever.
11/23/2025

Qatar photo dump | Team Tsarukyan | November 2025

One of my favorite fight weeks ever.

We aren’t stopping anytime soon.
11/22/2025

We aren’t stopping anytime soon.

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CAPONUTRITION

Perform as a professional athlete, eat as an authentic Italian! Matteo Capodaglio, Director of Performance Doctor of Pharmacy MS Human Nutrition Fellow, Royal Society of Medicine Former Researcher at the World Anti Doping Laboratory in Rome, Italy Affiliate Member of the British Pharmacological Society Member of the International Society of Sports Nutrition