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Vegan athlete Bernardo Ficarella said that he is “vegan for the animals.”
Ficarella has a black belt in both judo and Brazilian jiu-jitsu. He has been training in martial arts for over 26 years and has been vegan for a decade.
Read more: ‘Veganism Is A Fight For A More Just World,’ Says Vegan MMA Fighter
Ficarella told Plant Based News (PBN) that he has won in his weight division, which is lightweight, four different times at ADCC submission fighting events, and has also won the “absolute” division, an open-weight category unique to combat sports and wrestling, twice. He said, “On both occasions I was the lightest athlete in the bracket, including the finals, where I faced opponents who were nearly twice my weight.”
The 37-year-old martial artist told PBN that his most recent win in an absolute division was in May of this year. He said, “I first competed in my weight division, Masters Professional -76 kg, where I won gold. That qualified me to compete in the Absolute/Open Weight division. […] I made it through to the final, where I faced a very high-level athlete weighing over 100 kg, while I weigh around 70 kg. I managed to win the final and claim the Absolute belt.”*
Ficarella added, “What made this achievement particularly special for me is that I also won the Absolute title last year, which made me the only Masters athlete to win the ADCC Ireland Masters Absolute belt twice. Considering the size difference and the level of competition, it was a very special achievement for me, especially after so many years in martial arts.”
‘There is no justification for killing animals’
Ficarella, who is Brazilian but has spent the last six years living in Ireland, co-owns a Brazilian jiu-jitsu academy in County Cavan, Ulster. He told PBN that his business partner, with whom he owns JSBJJ Cavan, also follows a vegan diet.
Ficarella said, “I chose to become vegan for the animals because I believe that, with so many other food options available today, there is no justification for killing animals simply to satisfy a momentary pleasure of taste.”
According to Smoothcomp, Ficarella has a total of 48 wins.
*This article was updated on August 17, 2026, to add additional comments from Bernardo Ficarella.
Read more: Can Footballers Really Thrive On A Plant-Based Diet?
‘If we are strong, we have a responsibility to protect the most vulnerable’
Earlier this month, MMA fighter Ahmed Labban appeared on a billboard for ZeGeVege Festival, an upcoming vegetarian event in Croatia. Labban adopted a vegan diet in 2023, and, like many other athletes, has said that he believes eating plant foods has positively affected his energy levels, performance, and recovery.
He said, “For me, strength does not mean the ability to hurt those weaker than us. Quite the opposite: if we are strong, we have a responsibility to protect the most vulnerable.”
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