Starting in 2008, the Sam Hoger and Jackson’s MMA trained fighter began a journey in mixed martial arts with the intent goal of becoming a champion.
Although sometimes rocky and laden with losses along the way, the mercurial fighter has continued to march forward towards that goal despite the roadblocks put in front of him – to an amateur title after his first two bouts ended in losses; to four wins in a row after losing his professional debut; and to beating a highly-touted title contender in a fight he was supposed to lose during his last Shark Fights outing.
“It’s not the battle, it’s the war,” they say. To Artenas “Machine Gun” Young, that’s a quote that has summed up his young career thus far and it’s a saying that will prove to be true when he accomplishes his far-reaching goals of becoming champion of the world.
This Saturday, the “Machine Gun” Artenas Young will continue his quest in the co-main event of Shark Fights 16 in Odessa, TX when he takes on Elvis “The King” Mutapcic, his most dangerous opponent yet.
With this, his biggest fight just on the horizon, Artenas spoke to TXMMA.com from his home-away-from-home in Las Colinas, New Mexico to talk about this upcoming Saturday and what he’s been up to in his career as of late.
Thanks for taking the call just a few days before your fight Chico. How’s everything been going for you?
Talk about a busy schedule. Since I haven’t told you yet, congrats on your last win at Shark Fights 15 against Kyle Bracey! That’s your biggest win yet. Did the fight go as expected?
It was a good fight. We stuck to the game plan. That’s one of the things about being part of the Jackson camp. We’ve got the best game planners in the entire game, period. This was one of my first full camps here and it showed man. The training was so hard going up 11,000 ft. to the Sandia Crest and training up there. Working so hard just makes the fight so easy. It ended up being like going to the playground and shooting basketballs. I’m not saying my opponent wasn’t worthy or what not… it’s just that the hard training we put in before the fight made the fight that much easier. We stuck to the game plan and it went by a lot quicker than I thought it would. It seems like it was only two minutes for me.
Kyle Bracey beat guys like Eric “Big Head” Davila before facing you. He was/is pretty highly-regarded. What does beating him do for you?
Well, you know, it sets me up. This was a big fight, Like you said, he fought some big guys and they (Shark Fights) were setting him up since he’s been with the organization for awhile and was undefeated. He was supposed to be one of the title contenders here. In some ways, I was given that fight just to lose that fight, to be a stepping stone for this guy. Now that didn’t happen, let’s just say that. I believe winning puts me into perspective on the national level and shows people a little bit of what I’m here to do and where I’m at in this game when I’m well-conditioned and trained the right way. I can be unstoppable. I am the Machine Gun!
What about the fight you had before Bracey – up in Colorado against Jeremy Kimball? You lost that fight. To be fair though, a lot of people say that decision went the wrong way. What are your thoughts on that one?
You know what, it did hurt. It kind of sucks because I felt like I established myself in that fight and did enough to fin. But I also feel like I didn’t put myself in the best position to win, you know? He got that fight but I should have finished him. I dropped him in every round. He touched me a couple of times in the first round but for the most part, I was the one dealing most of the damage so yeah, it sucks. It’s horrible to know that the call went that way. It was definitely a hometown thing for him but it was a big learning lesson for me too. It lets me know I have to be conditioned, impose my will at all times, and go in looking to finish every time. I think it set the tone for me this year. No more judges. You’re going to see a more aggressive Machine Gun from here on out because of that fight. That’s it man. Period. Point blank.
It’s looks like you’ve definitely kept yourself busy in the cage and also in training over in New Mexico since the last time we saw you fight in Texas. How do you feel you’ve developed since your last fight in Houston?
I guess we’ll see proof of that this Saturday since you’ll be representing Houston in West Texas at Shark Fights against Elvis Mutapcic. What do you know this Elvis guy?
I know you pronounced his name right, that’s crazy. I haven’t gotten that thing right yet. <laughs> The only thing I know for sure about him is that he’s going to lose. He doesn’t stand a snowball’s chance in Mississippi in July. Outside of that, he’s got some a European kickboxing background where he likes to come forward and really let that kick go. He’s a good right kick he likes to land to leg or the body which will be nullified completely by my game plan. I know who Elvis works with out there in Iowa and it’s just not going to be enough. Right now, it’s now it’s my time and he’s in the right place to be at for me to walk right through him. I’m going impose my will and end this in the first round. He’s never seen or faced anything like what he’s going to see out of me this Saturday night and that’s a fact. A guaranteed fact.
Looking at Mutapcic’s record, it appears he’s won the majority of his fights by submission. Are you doing anything special to prepare for the fight if it hits the floor?
I laugh because as the Machine Gun I’m labeled as a stand-up fighter but I come from a ground base man. Sam Hoger, he’s a ground guy and I’ve worked a lot with him on the ground. I make jokes out here all the time saying, “If you submit me, I’ll give you twenty bucks.” I feel like I’m one of the best ground guys in the game. I just choose not to go down there. It’s like some of the guys here at Jackson’s. They’re some of the best ground guys I’ve seen but nobody’s ever seen it because they choose not to go down there either. This guy’s not going to submit me. I train too hard with too many brown and black belts to be worried about his submissions OR his stand up. I’m going to enforce my will on him.
Is Mutapcic taking you down a possibility you’re worried about?
I think he’s fought at 170 for a big portion of his career and I don’t think he’s faced anybody as big as me so no, absolutely not. He’ll have to be really good or catch me when I’m really tired. One of those two things better happen and I don’t see that being a possibility. There’s nothing he can do to me that I haven’t seen in training.
Do you have any last words for Elvis “The King” before you meet him at Shark Fights 16 this Saturday?
Do you have any last words for Machine Gun nation and all your followers?
I appreciate you giving me the opportunity to address people right there, that’s really big because I appreciate each and everyone out there that believes in me. I appreciate each and every time I get any type of support, especially from the guys that know me personally because they know my passion for this sport and how hard I train. It’s good to know there are people out there that understand that. I just want to thank everyone and hope they continue to look out for me. MachineGunNation.com is under construction and will be completed after this fight so look out for that. As far as merchandise, I’ve got shirts, bracelets, hats, and everything else coming soon so continue to support me and I thank everybody out there for continuing to show their love.
I want to give a big huge shout out to my management team with Brett Boyce out there at Made to Win. “Born to fight, made to win!’ it’s more like a family to me when it comes to them and I appreciate everything they do. I also want to thank our extended family with all the people that help us out over there like ProFormance Mouth Guards. They’re actually getting me a mouthpiece delivered to me last-minute as we speak so thank you. I definitely want to thank you, TXMMA.com, TheCageDoor.net, and everyone out there that supports the scene. Lastly, I just want to thank my teams at Jackson’s and Hoger’s, Machine Gun nation, and most importantly, my mom and the good lord above. She’s my biggest supporter. I love you mom!
Note: You’ll be able to catch the Young vs Mutapcic fight at Shark Fights 16 on tape delay on FUEL TV in just a few weeks. For now, you can watch Artenas Young’s last win versus Kyle Bracey at Shark Fights 15 starting at 9PM Texas time. Check your local listings for channel info.