Shane Young
Shane Young is a New Zealand mixed martial artist who competes in the Featherweight division and previously competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Background
Young was born in Napier, New Zealand, and had a brother who died at the age of two. He went to Dilworth School, where he was the rugby team captain for two years. He studied to become an architect before pursuing a career in mixed martial arts. Young is of European and Māori descent 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.He trains at Auckland's City Kickboxing gym where he is the teammate of UFC fighters Israel Adesanya, Dan Hooker and Kai Kara-France.
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.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. The bout proceeded at a catchweight of 150 pounds. Young lost the fight via unanimous decision.Young faced Rolando Dy on 23 June 2018 at UFC Fight Night: Cowboy vs. Edwards. He won the fight via technical knockout in round two. This win earned him the Fight of the Night award.
Young contemplated stepping away from fighting for the remainder of 2018 to tackle issues with depression after his bout with Dy. Prior to the bout, he had to borrow $40 to get to the airport for his flight to Singapore for the fight, and was dealing mental health issues surrounding the break-up of his marriage. Young said that 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.
Young returned to fighting and faced Austin Arnett on 10 February 2019 at UFC 234. He won the fight via unanimous decision.
Young was scheduled to face Nate Landwehr on 27 September 2020 at UFC 253. However Landwehr was pulled from the event due to testing positive for COVID-19 and was replaced by newcomer Ľudovít Klein. 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. Young lost the fight via knockout in round one.
Young faced Omar Morales on 27 March 2021 at UFC 260. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.
Young faced Blake Bilder on 12 February 2023, at UFC 284. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.
Young faced Gabriel Miranda at UFC 293 on 10 September 2023. 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. He lost the fight via technical submission in the first round.
In October 2023, Young was released by the UFC.
Championships and accomplishments
Mixed martial arts
- Ultimate Fighting Championship
- * Fight of the Night
Personal life
Young has a son.