Shanna Young got past 'nerves and dread' for first UFC win at UFC on ESPN 35

LAS VEGAS – Without a win in more than two years, and losses in her first two fights in the UFC, Shanna Young could be forgiven if her confidence was waning.

And that’s exactly what the women’s flyweight said was going on in her career after UFC losses to “Ultimate Fighter” winner Macy Chiasson and Stephanie Egger in 2020 and 2021. Throw in a loss on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2019, and Young was in big-time need of a win.

That’s what she got Saturday to open UFC on ESPN 35 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. As a slight underdog, Young (8-4 MMA, 1-2 UFC) finished Gina Mazany (7-6 MMA, 1-6 UFC) with a second-round TKO for her first win in the promotion.

After the fight, Young said her confidence was ramped up, despite the rough start to her UFC tenure.

“I felt really good coming into this one,” Young said at her post-fight news conference. “I felt confident. I made some changes in my training and my camp. Just going in, I felt completely different. I had gotten to the point where – I’m sure a lot of people get to that point you feel, just nerves and dread when you walk in the cage. It’s almost like you don’t want to be there anymore, and I had gotten to that point.

“It was a totally different feeling and totally different vibes this time. It felt good walking in, so I knew from the start it was going to be different.”

Young’s win was her first since November 2011 under the Invicta FC banner. She handed Mazany her sixth loss in nine fights.

Check out the full interview with Young in the video above.