Shane Young

Shane Young (born 31 July 1993) is a New Zealand mixed martial artist (MMA) who competes in the Featherweight division and previously competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

Shane Young
Shane Young post fight interview at UFC 234
Born (1993-07-31) 31 July 1993
Napier, New Zealand
Other namesSmokin
Height5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Weight145 lb (66 kg; 10 st 5 lb)
DivisionLightweight (2014–present)
Featherweight (2015)
Reach72[1] in (183 cm)
StyleKickboxing
Fighting out ofAuckland, New Zealand
TeamGroundControl (until 2014)[2]
City Kickboxing (2014–present)[2]
RankBlue belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu[3]
Years active2012–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total21
Wins13
By knockout6
By submission4
By decision3
Losses8
By knockout1
By submission1
By decision6
Websiteshaneyoung.co.nz
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Background

Young was born in Napier, New Zealand, and had a brother who died at the age of two.[4][2] He went to Dilworth School, where he was the rugby team captain for two years.[2] He studied to become an architect before pursuing a career in mixed martial arts.[2] Young is of European and Māori descent[5] and is affiliated with the Māori tribe Ngāti Kahungunu. He uses fighting as the platform to inspire New Zealand mixed-blood Māori to accept their Māori roots and to be sporting stars.[6]

I wanted to see sporting stars ... especially half-cast people, people of European and Māori decent – the colonised and the coloniser. I wanted them to try and inspire Māori people. So many people especially at my age feel very whakamā, feel very shy to let people know that they're Māori because of the stigma attached to it.[6]

I feel like Māori is magical and people need to see that magic.

I want to do it for my community and where I'm from. I want to be an inspiration to them. It also helps me and gives me mana. My ancestors were warriors, fighting to the death in battle. I'll talk about it and I'll say Māori words, and it gives me goosebumps. You can't fake that stuff, it gives you power.[7]

He trains at Auckland's City Kickboxing gym where he is the teammate of UFC fighters Israel Adesanya, Dan Hooker[8] and Kai Kara-France.[9]

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Young started his professional MMA career in 2012 and amassed a record of 11–3 before being signed by the UFC.[10]

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Young made his promotional debut as a short notice replacement against Alexander Volkanovski on 19 November 2017 at UFC Fight Night: Werdum vs. Tybura.[11] The bout proceeded at a catchweight of 150 pounds.[12] Young lost the fight via unanimous decision.[13]

Young faced Rolando Dy on 23 June 2018 at UFC Fight Night: Cerrone vs. Edwards.[14] He won the fight via technical knockout in round two.[15] This win earned him the Fight of the Night award.[16]

Young contemplated stepping away from fighting after his bout with Dy for the remainder of 2018 to tackle his depression after achieving the success and the fame at UFC Fight Night: Cerrone vs. Edwards of earning $50,000, where prior to the bout he had to borrow $40 to get to the airport for his flight to Singapore for the fight, and his mental health issues surrounding the break-up of his marriage[17] where he spent most of the time with his family while seeking to reconnect with his Māori culture, which helped him to return to a healthy state of mind.[18][19]

We all know there's this magic in being Māori, being in the community and being able work with each other. What got me out of it was returning to my roots, my Māoritanga. We get caught up too much in the modern-day everything - I should have this because I should be rich and I should be all these things. But I was like, what I should be is what I am, a young Māori man in Aotearoa, where you have that appreciation for the land."[20]

Young returned to fighting and he faced Austin Arnett on 10 February 2019 at UFC 234.[21] He won the fight via unanimous decision.[22]

Young was scheduled to face Nate Landwehr on 27 September 2020 at UFC 253.[23] However Landwehr was pulled from the event due to tested positive for COVID-19 and he was replaced by newcomer Ľudovít Klein.[24] At the weigh-ins, Klein weighed in at 150 pounds, four pounds over the non-title featherweight fight limit. The bout proceeded at a catchweight and Klein was fined a percentage of his purse, which went to Young.[25] Young lost the fight via knockout in round one.[26]

Young faced Omar Morales on 27 March 2021 at UFC 260.[27] He lost the fight via unanimous decision.[28]

Young faced Blake Bilder on 12 February 2023, at UFC 284.[29] He lost the fight via unanimous decision.[30]

Young faced Gabriel Miranda at UFC 293 on 10 September 2023.[31] At the weigh-ins, Young weighed in at 149.75 pounds, three and three quarters pounds over the featherweight non-title fight limit. The bout proceeded at catchweight and Young was fined a percentage of his purse, which went to Miranda.[32] He lost the fight via technical submission in the first round.[33]

In October 2023, Young was released by UFC.[34]

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

Personal life

Young was a builder and foreman prior to competing in MMA professionally.[35]

Young has a son.[36]

Mixed martial arts record
Professional record breakdown
21 matches 13 wins 8 losses
By knockout 6 1
By submission 4 1
By decision 3 6
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Loss 13–8 Gabriel Miranda Technical Submission (rear-naked choke) UFC 293 September 10, 2023 1 0:59 Sydney, Australia Catchweight (149.75 lb) bout; Young missed weight.
Loss 13–7 Blake Bilder Decision (unanimous) UFC 284 February 12, 2023 3 5:00 Perth, Australia
Loss 13–6 Omar Morales Decision (unanimous) UFC 260 March 27, 2021 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss 13–5 Ľudovít Klein KO (head kick and punches) UFC 253 September 27, 2020 1 1:16 Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Catchweight (150 lb) bout; Klein missed weight.
Win 13–4 Austin Arnett Decision (unanimous) UFC 234 February 10, 2019 3 5:00 Melbourne, Australia
Win 12–4 Rolando Dy TKO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Cowboy vs. Edwards June 23, 2018 2 4:40 Kallang, Singapore Fight of the Night.
Loss 11–4 Alexander Volkanovski Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Werdum vs. Tybura November 19, 2017 3 5:00 Sydney, Australia Catchweight (150 lb) bout.
Win 11–3 Bo Yan Submission (choke) WLF: W.A.R.S. 13 April 22, 2017 1 N/A Zhengzhou, China
Win 10–3 Zexian Jiang Technical Submission (rear-naked choke) Glory of Heroes: Rise of Heroes 7 February 18, 2017 1 5:00 Auckland, New Zealand
Win 9–3 Siitia Leti Decision BRACE 43 October 1, 2016 1 0:36 Canterbury, New Zealand
Win 8–3 Zhenhong Lu TKO (punches) Elevation Power in Cage 4 May 28, 2014 1 3:29 Zhengzhou, China
Win 7–3 Rodolfo Marques Decision (split) Minotaur 3 June 1, 2014 3 5:00 Parkville, Australia
loss 6–3 Guan Wang Decision (unanimous) Wu Lin Feng 2015: New Zealand vs. China September 19, 2015 3 5:00 Auckland, New Zealand
Win 6–2 Liucai Cui Submission (rear-naked choke) The Legend Of Emei 3 August 8, 2015 1 2:34 Shahe, China
Win 5–2 Julian Wallace KO (punches) Xtreme Fighting Championship 24 May 23, 2015 1 1:16 Brisbane, Australia Return to Featherweight]. Defended the XFC Featherweight Championship.
Loss 4–2 Damien Brown Decision (majority) Xtreme Fighting Championship 23 February 28, 2015 3 5:00 Brisbane, Australia Lightweigh debut. For the vacant XFC Lightweight Championship.
Win 4–1 Adrian Rodriguez TKO (head kick and punches) Xtreme Fighting Championship 22 November 24, 2014 3 3:32 Brisbane, Australia Won the XFC Featherweight Championship.
Loss 3–1 Adrian Rodriguez Decision (majority) Xtreme Fighting Championship 20 February 15, 2014 3 5:00 Brisbane, Australia For the XFC Featherweight Championship. Fight of the Night.
Win 3–0 Hayden Watt Decision (majority) Shuriken MMA: Rise November 23, 2013 3 5:00 Auckland, New Zealand
Win 2–0 Jiraya Fernandes TKO (punches) Jiraya Fernandes June 23, 2013 1 4:50 Wellington, New Zealand
Win 1–0 Ray Karaitiana TKO (punches) ICNZ 18 September 22, 2012 1 N/A Auckland, New Zealand

[37]

See also

References
  1. "Stats | UFC". ufcstats.com. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
  2. Jordan Sullivan (10 April 2021). The Importance of Mental Health for Performance with Shane Young | Trainade Performance Podcast – via YouTube.
  3. "Wins, Learns and upgrades". groundcontrol.net.nz. 23 February 2012.
  4. "Shane Young goes back to his Māori roots to get back on track ahead of UFC 234". Stuff. 9 February 2019. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
  5. "Shane Young (@ShaneYoungMMA) | Twitter". twitter.com. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
  6. NZME @joelkula, Joel Kulasingham Joel Kulasingham is a sports reporter for (22 June 2018). "MMA: Kiwi UFC fighter Shane Young flying the flag for Māori". The New Zealand Herald. ISSN 1170-0777. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
  7. "UFC: Kiwi featherweight Shane Young bringing Māori culture to the world in Singapore". Newshub. 23 June 2018. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
  8. "MMA: Kiwi fighter Shane Young signs on for second UFC fight". Newshub. 5 September 2018. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
  9. "'It's not a distraction' - Kiwi fighter Shane Young on being teammates with UFC star Israel Adesanya". TVNZ. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
  10. Sherdog.com. "Shane". Sherdog. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
  11. Dorff, Marcel. "Shane Young maakt short notice debuut tegen Alexander Volkanovski tijdens UFC Sydney". mmadna.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 19 August 2023.
  12. "UFC Fight Night 121 official weigh-in results: Headliner set, but four fighters heavy". MMAjunkie. 18 November 2017. Retrieved 9 January 2019.
  13. "UFC Fight Night 121 results: Alex Volkanovski dominates short-notice opponent Shane Young". MMAjunkie. 19 November 2017. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
  14. "Rolando Dy vs. Shane Young completes 12-bout lineup at UFC Singapore". MMAjunkie. 11 June 2018. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
  15. "UFC Fight Night 132 results: Shane Young wears down Rolando Dy before brutal elbow ender". MMAjunkie. 23 June 2018. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
  16. "UFC Fight Night 132 bonuses: Ovince Saint Preux among $50,000 winners for slick armbar". MMAjunkie. 23 June 2018. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
  17. "How octagon success led to depression for UFC 234's Shane Young". MMAjunkie. 8 February 2019. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
  18. NZME, Christopher Reive Christopher Reive is a sports reporter for (29 December 2018). "UFC: Shane Young to return from mental health break against Austin Arnett at UFC 234". The New Zealand Herald. ISSN 1170-0777. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
  19. "UFC fighter Young to tap out due to personal issues". Māori Television. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
  20. "Shane Young goes back to his Māori roots to get back on track ahead of UFC 234". Stuff. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
  21. NZME, Christopher Reive Christopher Reive is a sports reporter for (29 December 2018). "UFC: Shane Young to return from mental health break against Austin Arnett at UFC 234". NZ Herald. ISSN 1170-0777. Retrieved 9 January 2019.
  22. "UFC 234: Shane Young's steady pressure leads to decision over Austin Arnett". MMAjunkie. 10 February 2019. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
  23. Dorff, Marcel (12 August 2020). "Shane Young treft Nate Landwehr tijdens lang verwachte terugkeer in UFC op 26 september". MMA DNA (in Dutch). Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  24. "Ludovit Klein steps in for Nate Landwehr at UFC 253 after positive COVID-19 test". MMA Junkie. 17 September 2020. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  25. Staff (25 September 2020). "UFC 253 weigh-in results: All title fighters hit marks, but two come in heavy on 'Fight Island'". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 25 September 2020.
  26. Bitter, Shawn (26 September 2020). "UFC 253 Results: Ludovit Klein Knocks Out Shane Young". Cageside Press. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
  27. Marvin France (19 February 2021). "Brad Riddell again left frustrated by MIQ voucher system after booking big UFC bout". stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  28. Anderson, Jay (27 March 2021). "UFC 260 Results: Omar Morales Bests Shane Young, Earns Decision Win". Cageside Press. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
  29. Alexander K. Lee (28 December 2022). "Shane Young vs. Blake Bilder added to UFC 284". MMAFighting.com. Retrieved 28 December 2022.
  30. Shawn Bitter (11 February 2023). "UFC 284: Blake Bilder makes successful debut against Shane Young". Cageside Press. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
  31. Jay Anderson (19 July 2023). "Shane Young vs. Gabriel Miranda Joins UFC 293 in Sydney, Australia". cagesidepress.com.
  32. Alexander K. Lee (8 September 2023). "UFC 293 weigh-in results: Israel Adesanya and Sean Strickland hit mark, 1 fighter misses by almost 4 pounds". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
  33. Theodosi, Jamie (9 September 2023). "UFC 293: Gabriel Miranda Chokes Out Overweight Shane Young". Cageside Press. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  34. Riggs, Drake (17 October 2023). "Purge! UFC parts ways with seven fighters". MMAmania.com. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  35. "Shane Young". UFC. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
  36. FightWave (20 January 2023). A Conversation With City Kickboxing's Shane Young | MMACast #46 - Shane Young – via YouTube.
  37. Sherdog.com. "Shane". Sherdog. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
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