Max Holloway may or may not have been name-dropped by Drake on his latest album, but for Holloway, Scorpion appearances are basically window dressing. Pound for pound, the Hawaii native is one of the best fighters in the world right now, and although concussion-like symptoms made him a late scratch from his matchup with Brian Ortega at Saturday's UFC 226, the sport's reigning featherweight champion will hopefully return to the Octagon soon to defend his title.

As his career has progressed, the grueling nature of MMA played a major role in Holloway's decision to rely full-time on a nutritionist in the weeks leading up to his bouts. He recently spoke to GQ about how doing so has changed his training regimen—and how, even if you know everything you're supposed to be doing and not doing, hard it is to say no to dark chocolate.

GQ: How has working with a nutritionist affected your preparation for this fight?Max Holloway: We try to keep things the same for every fight: Watch the fighter, break it down. Everything is pretty much the same. Working with Tyler is great, though. He comes in during the last four weeks of camp, and it’s awesome having someone there so I can focus on my training and he can focus on the meal. He makes sure that I’m hitting all the nutrients, and eating at the times I need to eat.

The faster you recover, the more time you can train, and there’s just less stress from having to think, like, Oh, I gotta cook this, I have to go to the grocery store and get this, this, and this. I’ve had this nutritionist for about a year or so. After that first fight, I could see a big difference. It was exciting.

Many athletes we talk to don’t have nutritionists, and just sort of figure things out as they go. When you started working with one, did you learn anything weird about your diet?Nothing weird—just a lot about eating at certain times, and a lot about the reasons why we eat. I’d be like, “I don’t want to drink this,” and he would explain why I needed to. I feel way better with my energy levels and recovery levels.

Man, a nutritionist is expensive, but it’s money well spent. You have guys like LeBron James putting millions of dollars into their bodies. I wish I had that type of money. But this window is short—lot of professional athletes’ careers aren't that long. So anything that can help put me ahead in the game, it helps.

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On that note, can you walk me through a normal day of eating when you’re deep in training?I always eat before I go into a training session. It depends on how hard the workout’s going to be. A little harder workout, more carbs; not too hard a workout, a little more protein. It really changes. On a sparring day, I have these protein pancakes that Tyler makes for me, which I love.

For lunch, we maybe do a lean protein—some fish or some type of 90-percent lean steak—and some potatoes. Dinner is kind of the same as lunch. We just change up the protein and the carbohydrates. That’s it. Anytime I do anything, he’s feeding me something—giving me that extra boost so I can push through those workouts.

What do you have right after a workout?I have these shakes that are highly top secret that I can’t talk about. But we do the shakes so we can get something into me real fast to help with recovery. We still try to eat right after, too—maybe in the next half hour or so. It depends on where we need to get to make the next meal.

That sounds like there’s not a lot of variation. Do you have cheat meals plugged in there?Yeah, my cheat meal is...whenever Tyler isn’t looking.

Jokes aside, he’s been trying to step up his baking game this time around. He made this cheesecake thing. He also does an açaí bowl, and some dark-chocolate-and-peanut-butter stuff for me. I’ve got a sweet tooth—I’m probably the worst sweet-tooth fighter in the business, and he knows that.

It’s all about balance. As long as I’m hitting my macros and nutrients, we try to sneak stuff in here and there, where I’d swear I’m not eating "healthy." A lot of people think that dieting is horrible and bland—all salads. If you find someone who knows what they’re doing, though, you can make healthy food taste great. Every week we do a “Taco Bowl Tuesday.” He’s made ramen, and this healthy curry for me, because I love Thai food. There’s ways to get the right nutrients, and eat the food you want, and have it taste great.

But you still have to burn off calories and all that right? Making weight is a pretty big deal for these fights.Yeah. I love food. I love eating. I love it a lot, man. You don’t really love something or miss it until it’s gone. When you have to cut weight, you’re like, Oh, damn. But going into the Octagon? That’s what we do. Before my last fight, in December—the first one I worked with Tyler on—he fed me and then asked, “How do you feel? Good? Full? Overfed?” I said I felt good, and he said, “Perfect. The hungry dog is the one that’s willing to fight more.” And that’s stuck in my mind. The hungrier you are, the more it’ll show in the fight.

What do you do after a fight?Like I said, I’m a junk food guy. You best believe I’m looking for some type of sweet: ice cream, a churro. Or those Baked by Melissa cupcakes. If you haven’t had one of those in your life, you’re missing out.

This interview has been edited and condensed.

Luke Darby is a contributor to GQ, covering news, entertainment, and the environment. A Louisiana native, he now resides in Cleveland, and his writing has also appeared in Outside, the Dallas Observer, and Marie Claire.Related Stories for GQReal Life DietUFC