Shane Young

Shane Young (born July 7, 1993) is a New Zealander mixed martial artist (MMA) who currently competes in the Featherweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Young is affiliated with the Maori tribe Ngāti Kahungunu.

Young was born in Napier, New Zealand, He trains at Auckland's City Kickboxing gym where he is the teammate of UFC fighter Israel Adesanya, Dan Hookerand Kai Kara-France.Young is of half European and half Māori descent and he uses fighting as the platform to inspire New Zealand mixed-blood Māori to accept their Māori roots and to be sporting stars.

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.

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.

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 UFC debut on November 18, 2017 against Alexander Volkanovski replacingHumberto Bandenay on a seven-day notice at UFC Fight Night: Werdum vs. Tybura. The bout proceeded at a catchweight of 150 pounds. Young lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Young was scheduled to face Rolando Dy on June 23, 2018 at UFC Fight Night: Cerrone 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 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 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.

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."

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

Mixed martial arts

• Ultimate Fighting Championship
  • Fight of the Night (One time) vs. Rolando Dy

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