Rashad Evans’s Mushroom Journey

Rashad Evans, the UFC Hall of Famer and former light heavyweight champion, talks about his journey to discover functional mushrooms and how they have helped him take more control over his own health after retiring from the UFC.

Rashad Evans contemplates his brain health

In 2016 Rashad was on the UFC 206 card and was supposed to fight Tim Kennedy. But instead of being part of history, he was contemplating my brain health. An irregular scan showed an image that concerned the athletic committee. They pulled him from the card. It made him nervous to think about his career and the potential health ramifications. The scan turned out to be nothing, but it inspired him to look into my health at a deep level.

Becoming a vegan athlete

Towards the end of his career, Rashad found himself grappling with a dilemma far greater than any opponent he’d faced in the octagon. Years of punishing battles left his body aching, his mind clouded, and his spirit searching for something beyond victory. It wasn’t another championship belt he sought, but clarity, renewal, and a deeper connection to himself.

The answer came not through brute force or grit but through the quiet revolution of his plate. Rashad Evans, the fierce UFC champion, became a vegan.

The transition was neither instant nor easy. In a world where athletes are fueled by steak dinners and protein shakes, Evans was an outlier. Inspired by documentaries and conversations with fellow seekers of health, he experimented. Slowly, meat left his diet. Dairy followed. He introduced functional mushrooms and other completely natural and unprocessed foods.

What he discovered shocked him: the persistent joint pain began to fade, his energy steadied, and a sense of lightness crept into his heavy-feeling body. Beyond the physical changes was a spiritual shift—Evans began to see veganism as a path to live in harmony with his values of compassion and growth.

Now retired from the cage, Evans speaks about his plant-based lifestyle with the same conviction he once reserved for his post-fight interviews. "It’s not just about the body," he says. "It’s about living in a way that heals, that aligns with who you are." In embracing veganism, Rashad Evans didn’t just rebuild his body; he transformed his life, proving that true strength is as much about resilience as it is reinvention.

Here is Rashad talking about it on the Joe Rogan Experience:

A Joe Rogan mushroom discussion started it all

Rashad learned about microdosing from Paul Stamets on The Joe Rogan Experience. Microdosing, at least as Stamets preaches it, is the practice of ingesting Lion’s Mane mushrooms, niacin, and a sub-perceptual amount of psilocybin mushrooms (as of this writing, only decriminalized in 15 cities in the US — and not fully legal anywhere) every single day.

Here is Rashad on the Joe Rogan Experience talking about how psychedelic mushrooms helped him:

The psychological impact of UFC retirement

This began his journey into all mushrooms. Rashad Evans retired from the UFC in 2018, after a string of losses. This was psychologically difficult to deal with. He still had a dominant winning streak on his record — and he was the light heavyweight champ of the world. But after a few losses, he began to question his ability. He knew his heart and mind were no longer in it.

After he retired, he dove deep into health and healing. Rashad wanted to make sure he didn’t start to see any of the potential issues of a 20+ year career in contact sports catch up with him. He didn't want to turn 50 and have any regrets.

Improving training with functional mushrooms

He changed his training, went vegan, and strengthened his knowledge of mushrooms. Lion's Mane, Turkey Tail, Reishi, and especially Cordyceps became a main-stay in his supplements, along with algae and shilajit. "I was feeling better than I had even when I was champ! It was amazing," he tells us.

A return to fighting

The opportunity to fight for Khabib in Eagle FC44 came to him and he thought it just made sense. He was 42 years old, but felt that he needed to go out with a victory. He felt as good as ever, so he took the chance.

"I trained smart and took a ton of MycoRise all throughout my training! At 42 years old, I entered the cage once again and got my hand raised. It felt great," Rashad says.

"Functional mushrooms played a huge part in helping me feel my best. I felt the Cordyceps were paramount to keeping me going along with a changed diet and new outlook." —Rashad Evans

Rashad Evans's daily functional mushroom routine

Rashad keeps a regular regimen of mushrooms as he continues to train and coach, so he can feel like he's performing at his best.

Below are the mushrooms he takes every day. He I always try to include a diverse number of mushrooms in his diet, at to get enough of each mushroom he takes. Whether it’s gourmet mushrooms or functional mushroom supplements like Umbo’s, he takes them all. But these are the ones that absolutely do not get skipped: