For the main event, both Israel Adesanya and his opponent, Sean Strickland, weighed in under the 83.9kg limit for their middleweight title fight. For a title bout, the athletes are not afforded the one-pound allowance non-title fights get. Adesanya, as he often is, was the first fighter to the scales, while Strickland was the 20th, commenting on how tough it was to shed that last pound as he made his way across the stage.
Missing weight is not a good look for Young after he and his team criticised Slovakian L’udovit Klein for missing weight when the two fought back in 2020. Klein was a late replacement and weighed in at 68kgs for that bout and did not attempt to weigh in a second time.
It’s a rocky way to go into a bout that Young referred to as one that “feels like do or die”, as he comes in on a three-fight losing streak.
It is something of a full-circle moment for the 30-year-old from Maraenui in Napier, though. Five years ago, he made his UFC debut as a short-notice replacement in Sydney against Alexander Volkanovski – now arguably the most dominant featherweight champion the UFC has seen - losing a unanimous decision.
In 2017, Young went into the bout on hostile territory – knowing the fans were not on his side. This time it’s different, he said, noting the collective rise of UFC fighters from Australia and New Zealand has brought the fans in both countries together.
After that fight, Young well and truly kicked the door down in the UFC, making a name for himself as a high-action fighter with an impressive stoppage in his second bout with the promotion, before edging a unanimous decision in his following fight in early 2019.
However, injuries and the Covid-19 pandemic put an abrupt halt to Young’s momentum. He was sidelined for 18 months, before being knocked out early in the first round in his return in 2020 against an opponent who failed to make weight – Young accepting the fight regardless.
That was followed by two consecutive losses on the judges’ scorecards – most recently in Perth in February – and now Young finds himself likely fighting for his spot on the roster in the city in which he made his debut, against Miranda on Sunday. Young’s teammate, Blood Diamond, is also likely in that position on Sunday after beginning his UFC tenure 0-2.
“This is a new territory for me being on a three-fight losing stint, and it feels like do or die for me with this fight,” Young admitted.
“I know I’m not yet in my physical prime. So, for me, it’s just trying to get out there and prove to myself all the years of hard work that I put in.”
Half of the card features a fighter from City Kickboxing while Kiwi Justin Tafa is also on the card. UFC newcomer Kevin Jousset, Young and Diamond will open the show, Carlos Ulberg will look to continue his impressive streak in the featured prelim – the final bout before the pay-per-view main card – Tyson Pedro opens the main card with Tafa in the second, before Israel Adesanya puts his middleweight title on the line in the main event.
