What is the Vertical Diet? Jon Jones’ bulk-up diet explained

Jon 'Bones' Jones, the controversial king of the UFC’s light heavyweight division for much of the 2010s, has been gearing up for a move to heavyweight for what feels like an eternity now. One of these days he might actually enter the octagon again if he and Dana White can come to an agreement on payment...

Originally rumored for a showdown with heavyweight champ Francis Ngannou, Jones was then moved into a rumored no. 1 contender’s fight with former champ Stipe Miocic, before finally being sent into the ‘probably won’t fight in 2021 at all’ category.

Regardless of when he finally makes his octagon return, one issue Jones most certainly will not have is making weight. With the aid of bodybuilding guru Stan Efferding, Jones is bigger than ever. Efferding, an IFBB professional bodybuilder and SPF powerlifter, is the mastermind behind the Vertical Diet, a performance-enhancing meal plan designed to help athletes increase both size and strength without losing their overall conditioning.

As Conor McGregor can attest from his brief and scary move to the welterweight division, gaining mass the wrong way can be a performance killer.

It looks like Jones has learned from his fellow loudmouth’s mistake.

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What’s Jon Jones allowed (and not allowed) to eat?

The Vertical Diet places a heavy emphasis on easy-to-digest, high calorie foods such as grass-fed beef (both for the quality of its protein and its vast array of micronutrients), chicken, salmon, eggs, milk, yogurt (probiotics are considered key in keeping the digestive system firing on all cylinders, especially when there’s a mountain of food to choke down) and low FODMAP fruits and vegetables.

FODMAPs (fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols - try saying that backwards) are a type of carbohydrate known for wreaking havoc on the small intestine. Symptoms of over-indulging in FODMAPs include cramping, flatulence and indigestion.

For a tall (6’4), long-limbed fighter like Jon Jones, gaining weight can be an uphill battle. To be able to eat enough whilst maintaining on point gut health, it’s important for him to steer clear of FODMAPs, lectins and anything else linked to digestive distress. The policy rules out a host of veggies and grains otherwise considered healthy, including broccoli, kale, beans, brown rice and cauliflower.

For carbs, Jones gets to enjoy mountains of white rice. Stripped of the fiber in brown rice, white rice is one of the quickest digesting carbs one can eat. This makes it a handy and efficient source of muscle glycogen for the former light heavyweight champ. He’ll need the energy too as that morning cup of coffee so many of us enjoy is banned on account of caffeine being linked to dehydration.

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Other than Jon Jones, who else uses the Vertical Diet?

Efferding’s dietary magnum opus is growing increasingly trendy in the world of sports. Former World’s Strongest Man winners Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson (a.k.a Gregor Clegane for all you Game of Thrones fans out there, if indeed there are any left after that finale) and Brian Shaw are both big proponents of the Vertical Diet and its energy-boosting benefits. CrossFit athlete Becca Voigt and record-breaking powerlifter Ed Coan are among the other esteemed vertical eaters going strong out there.

Interestingly, the diet is yet to really take off in the world of MMA beyond Jones. In a sport where most fighters are obsessed with cutting weight, a potentially fattening diet like this could lead to worry. More commonly associated with weightlifters and bodybuilders, it’s likely the diet’s popularity in MMA will increase in the years to come. That is, of course, if Jones actually gets back in the octagon to showcase its merits...