ONE ON ONE WITH SHANNA YOUNG

(PRESS RELEASE) -- On February 16, V3Fights introduced the women’s bantamweight division to its promotion. Not only did the new weight class impress the V3 “Legion,” but the bout received “Fight of the Night” honors. Shanna Young was victorious in this bout, even though many may have considered her to be the underdog in this fight. Her dominant wrestling really came through and put her on the map as one of the top female fighters in the region. We caught up with Shanna and got her thoughts on her most recent V3 victory:

How was your overall V3 experience?

My experience with V3 was excellent. They were very professional in everything from the weigh-ins to fight night. Fighters were talented and entertaining, and everything was organized and started on time. I couldn’t ask for anything more.

Was your opponent, Molly Dupertuis, every bit as tough as you thought she would be?

Molly was a tough opponent. Her strength surprised me in the first round. I had to re-evaluate and tweak my game plan a little bit going into the second.

I don’t think many people knew of your wrestling experience before watching this fight. Tell us your background in wrestling.

I’ve only wrestled officially for five and a half years (compared to ten years of stand up experience in karate). In high school, I wrestled on the guy’s team and was always the only female by the end of the season. After high school, I was recruited to wrestle on scholarship for King College in Bristol, TN where I did really well my freshman year. I placed 6th at nationals and was actually ranked on the Olympic ladder at one point that year.

So your game plan going into the fight was to use your wrestling? Are you happy with your performance?

I was satisfied with my wrestling in the fight, although there is always room for improvement. I drilled so many shots and takedowns in my training camp that I didn’t get to use. I was a little surprised to receive the “Fight of the Night” award because I saw so many great fighters facing off with other tough opponents. But in the end, women are usually more entertaining fighters anyway!

Well you definitely impressed the fans with your performance.

The V3 audience was great, I feed off the crowd and they were very supportive toward the end of the fight! Hopefully I have gained a few fans that would like to see me back in the V3 cage.

So you definitely want to fight for the promotion again, and if so, where do think you fit in with the women’s bantamweight division?

I would be honored to fight for V3 again and I am patiently awaiting the day when a women’s title is created. I definitely deserve a shot at the title because I’m the best in the area. I can’t wait!

About V3Fights V3Fights was founded in Memphis, TN as an amateur fighting circuit in 2009. The company’s mission is to provide quality MMA events for fans across the Mid-South, while serving as a proving ground for future professional MMA fighters. For more information on V3Fights, visit www.v3fights.com.