Kickboxing is a combat sport that attracts a wide range of people, from professional competitors to recreational athletes. Kickboxing competitors train intensively in order to achieve results, while recreational players train for intrinsic reasons and to meet the needs for physical activity, and among them there is a significant number of former competitors. Competitors are classified into competition categories according to age and body weight. This is precisely why, especially right before the competition, they are prone to restrictive dietary behaviors (reduction of body mass, dehydration...) in order to gain advantages over their opponents by placing them in a lower weight category. The above can have negative consequences not only on the physical but also on the mental health of the athlete, and in the long term it can also result in disturbed eating habits and various symptoms related to the experience of one's own body and physical appearance. Accordingly, this paper will examine and compare the appearance of symptoms of eating disorders and the perception and satisfaction with physical appearance between competitors and recreational kickboxing players. The sample of participants consisted of 150 Croatian kickboxers of different ages. They are categorized into two numerically equally large groups: competitors and recreational players. The severity of eating disorder symptoms was assessed with the Eating Attitude Test (EAT – 26, Garner et al., 1982) and satisfaction with body appearance was assessed with the Figure Rating Scale - FRS (Stunkard, Sorenson and Schlusinger, 1983). The results show a low percentage of disorded eating habits in this sample among kickboxers and that there is no difference in the presence of symptoms of eating disorders between competitors and recreational players. Furthermore, the difference in satisfaction with the physical appearance of kickboxers was confirmed; competitors are significantly more satisfied with their own body image compared to recreational players.