Disgraced UFC fighter Chad Mendes has swapped the octagon for big game and the hunting enthusiast seems pretty pleased with his latest kill.

The 2015 Fight of the Year award winner makes no secret of his love for hunting with regular social media updates featuring pictures of his kills and how he cooks them.

The latest post is a sickening picture showing Mendes and hunting partner Eric Chesser crouching over the fallen carcass of a recently shot elk.

Banned UFC fighter Chad Mendes (right) shows off his latest kill from one of his hunting trips

The featherweight is stepping up his hunting as he serves a two-year suspension for doping

Prior to his ban saw Mendes' featherweight title bid ended at the hands of Conor McGregor

In the caption alongside the picture Mendes states his joy with the kill: 'This has been hands down the toughest hunt I have ever been on but we have been staying after it and trying to keep positive and finally got it done'.

The California native grew up hunting and finds it easy to overlook the barbaric nature of his hobby. In another post Mendes shows off his cooking skills featuring one of his kills with great pride: 'It doesn't get any fresher than that!! Haters can hate but we will always survive and we will ALWAYS be eating good'.

Mendes is currently serving a two-year doping ban after failing an out-of-competition drugs test for banned substance GHRP-6, or growth hormone-releasing Hexapeptide, back in May.

With his MMA career on hold whilst he serves out his suspension Mendes appears to have upped his game. Last December the 31-year-old featherweight launched Finz and Feathers, a company offering guided hunts accompanied by Mendes himself.

The 31-year-old launched his own hunting tours company Finz and Feathers last December

Mendes' social media is flooded with pictures of his latest kills - here he posed with an elk

Mendes' penultimate fight before being handed the doping ban saw him challenge Conor McGregor for his featherweight title, with the Irishman scoring a second round TKO to retain his title.

A further loss to Frankie Edgar followed in December 2015 before he was handed his ban in July this year.

Last month Mendes discussed the similarities between his two passions with OutdoorHub: 'My drive to compete, my drive to push my body to the limit and try to test myself in the octagon and any type of sport that I've ever done is something that can translate to my hunting and fishing.

'Luckily for me, my job is to be in shape, so that definitely transfers over to making myself into an awesome hunter. I think the competition in the octagon is translatable to the competition when you're hunting, at least for me.'