James Yang is making his professional MMA debut inside the cage at One Championship Revolution. You can watch it on Friday, Sept. 24. CLICK HERE for the details on how to catch all of the fights.
Yang is coming in and fighting in the Featherweight division against Roel Rosauro. His opponent tends to go the distance, while Yang has finished five of his six amateur fights early.
Whether it was from knockout or submission, it didn’t matter. Clearly, James Yang is ready for the next step after displaying high-level MMA skills while training alongside Demetrious Johnson for the last several years. Additionally, Yang’s background working in Cirque du Soleil as a Wushu artist has further prepared him for his professional debut.
After speaking with him, it’s clear James Yang is excited about his fight on Friday. He has the privilege of opening up the Lead Card, allowing him to set the tone for the entire evening (or morning depending on where you’re watching the fights).
One Championship Revolution Interview
Yang came off calm, cool and collected. Talking to him, you wouldn’t think he had a fight coming up. He was laid-back and very conversational throughout the interview. To get a feel for how Yang is preparing for his upcoming bout at One Championship Revolution, I asked him this question: “Have you approached this fight differently than in your amateur bouts?”
James Yang: “No, not really. All the amateur fights are still fights, you know? It’s still getting that experience and learning lessons in camps and managing weight. How to train properly and have proper nutrition. How to take care of your sleep, how to take care of your body. Just everything factors in. The only difference is I do it at a professional level now.
It’s all in a day's work for James Yang, as he’s taking the good habits he has learned through the years and maintaining them. Yang has the tools around him to help him succeed. However, I was interested to know more about his past experiences and how they will translate to the fight game.
Benedetto Vitale: “What was it like working in Cirque du Soleil?”
Yang: “It was pretty incredible. They were asking for a Wushu specialist for the show ‘KA.’ So a bunch of people send in videos. Then they go through, like, hundreds, if not thousands of videos from people all around the world. Of all the videos, they narrowed it down to 16 people to perform a live audition in Las Vegas. Out of the 16 people they took two athletes, and I was one of the lucky ones that got through to the next phase. So now I’m in the database forever. They’ve asked me multiple times to do shows in the past. But I passed on them this time so I can focus on my fighting career.”
Vitale: “That’s pretty cool. And you mentioned ‘Wushu.’ I remember hearing about that in some old martial arts films. What exactly is Wushu?”
Yang: “Yeah, it’s categorized as a sport that uses different MMA formats and forms. And then Sanda is like Chinese kickboxing but with takedowns. And there’s Lei Tai, which is on a ring with no ropes. It’s elevated off the ground. If you get tossed out that ring multiple times in one round, you lose the fight. In the olden days, they’d do it on a floating raft, or elevated over hard ground. Now they have mats and stuff, so it’s not as bad.”
Vitale: “Makes it a little less dangerous, right?”
Yang: “Yeah. Not as fun, though.”
Vitale: “Cool, so how are those old techniques translating to your MMA career?”
Yang: “I try not to separate martial arts training from what I’m doing. There’s a lot of disconnect in the world between modern MMA and old-school martial arts. You can’t really have one with0ut the other.”
Not only does James Yang have a background in Wushu martial arts and working with Cirque du Soleil, but he also trains with Demetrious Jonhson. “Mighty Mouse” is commonly regarded as one of the best MMA fighters of all time after winning a belt in 2012 and then stringing together 11 consecutive title defenses, the most in UFC history. I asked James Yang, “What is it like training with one of the greatest fighters of all time ahead of your fight in One Championship Revolution?”
Yang: “It’s been incredible. He’s an inspiration to a lot of great martial artists, and for him to train with me is awesome. We’ve been working together for the last five years or so. I’ve been in his corner and he’s been in my corner as well. We’ve built a lot of great chemistry together.”
Vitale: “Does he force you to play video games with him?”
Yang: “He don’t force me to do anything! I actually love playing video games too, so that’s one of the ways we’ve bonded. We talk about a lot of things outside of fighting and MMA too.”
I also asked Yang if he likes to trash talk his opponents. It’s a common thing we see from some MMA fighters, especially some of the fan favorites in the UFC like Nate Diaz and Conor McGregor. Even so, Yang keeps his head in the game and views the fight as his job to finish.
Yang: “I don’t show much emotion really. I don’t, like, hate my opponent. It’s just business. Go in and get the job done. I’ve said this in a few interviews now, but I kind of view myself as a bounty hunter, and I’m just in there collecting my bounty.”
After going over some of James Yang’s background, training, and mindset, it was time to hear his thoughts on his professional debut.
Vitale: “Obviously you want to win your fight. But what are you looking to accomplish in your professional debut?”
Yang: “I want to go viral. Get either a first-round knockout or submission. Roel Rosauro is tough. I don’t want to disrespect my opponent. But I’m confident in myself as a fighter and I’m looking for the finish.”
James Yang is ready for his bout on Friday. From working in Cirque du Soleil and training alongside Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson, it’s safe to say Yang is mentally and physically prepared for his first professional bout. You can watch his fight on Sept. 24, Friday morning at 6:30 a.m. ET. One Championship Revolution will be made available to stream on Bleacher Report’s YouTube channel once the event is finished as well.
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