Vegan fighter conquers European title
The German champion has won the European grappling title to add to his multiple national titles
The last two years have seen Max Urschl tally up an impressive number of European titles. In 2024, he was deemed the black belt champion at the NAGA Amsterdam Championship and this year he also took the title at the German NAGA Championship, amongst others.
He has now undoubtedly cemented his position as among the best grappling fighters in Europe, if not the world, by taking the top spot for his weight and age category at the Europe Grappling Championships.
Grappling is an extremely physical martial art that involves close-quarter fighting including throws, locks and take-downs to force your opponent into submission. It is considered a very difficult martial art due to its technical complexity and physicality. As a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Luta Livre, Max is a world-leading competitor in grappling sports.
Max turned vegan in late 2018 to avoid harming animals and immediately won the International German Championship, powered by plants.
“I am vegan for the animals,” Max says. “I am against animal exploitation so I am vegan.”
Now into his 40s, he still retains excellent levels of fitness and competes against younger men. This shows that a vegan diet can support strength and health at the highest level as we age.
He says the only thing he regrets is not switching to a vegan lifestyle sooner. Even tough guys have hearts!
Content sourced and adapted, with permission, from Great Vegan Athletes.
About the author
Nicholas Hallows
Nicholas has been vegan since the early 2000s and worked for Viva! between 2017 and 2020 as a Senior Administrator and Web Content Assistant. He is a qualified teacher, specialising in Language and Literacy, and an accredited Proofreader and Editor. He is now a freelance writer covering topics including veganism, mindfulness and minimalism.
