2008 Woodie Awards
Midd junior tries hand at cage fighting
Jay Yonamine '07 takes 90 seconds to claim first ultimate fighting victory
Jeff Patterson
Issue date: 2/23/06 Section: Sports
Jay Yonamine '07, a political science major, spent his fall term in D.C. - definitely commonplace - but on Jan. 21 he "did the most extreme thing [he's] ever done," when he fought a mixed martial arts bout. With SPRAWL scrawled across his shorts, Jay won his first fight in an octagonal cage.
After watching Ultimate Fighting on TV and reading up on technique, Jay enrolled in a fight school over summer break near his Minnesota home run by his current trainer/promoter Mike Reilly. Within six months Jay was cage-ready. It should be noted that it can take as long as two years for some people to master the necessary skills.
On the morning of the fight against Dan Monet, who had three fights under his belt, Jay woke up thinking, "Tonight I'm going to be in the cage." Looking back, he wouldn't describe the feeling as "scared," just "extremely nervous." Yonamine had to be at the Rochester, Minn., arena, which was charging $50 for a front-row seat, several hours before the start of the match, and all he could do was sit around. At 9 p.m. he heard the cage's door lock behind him and there was no chance to back out. "Humans react with either fight or flight. In the cage, you can only fight," he said.
Yonamine doesn't remember much about the fight, even though it was four weeks ago, but he does recall being surprised when instead of beginning the match by touching gloves with the other fighter, like he expected, the referee just said, "Fight." Yonamine hesitated a little, but then went at Monet. He thought the fight only lasted several seconds, but his coach said it was more like a minute and a half.
Yonamine remembers Reilly shouting, "Break his f---ing arm," when Jay was in the driver's seat. After the fight, Reilly claimed it was only to intimidate the other guy, but in the heat of battle and as a rookie, Yonamine followed his coach's instructions. Luckily for Monet, he tapped out when he did. If Monet hadn't, he would have needed a cast.
After watching Ultimate Fighting on TV and reading up on technique, Jay enrolled in a fight school over summer break near his Minnesota home run by his current trainer/promoter Mike Reilly. Within six months Jay was cage-ready. It should be noted that it can take as long as two years for some people to master the necessary skills.
On the morning of the fight against Dan Monet, who had three fights under his belt, Jay woke up thinking, "Tonight I'm going to be in the cage." Looking back, he wouldn't describe the feeling as "scared," just "extremely nervous." Yonamine had to be at the Rochester, Minn., arena, which was charging $50 for a front-row seat, several hours before the start of the match, and all he could do was sit around. At 9 p.m. he heard the cage's door lock behind him and there was no chance to back out. "Humans react with either fight or flight. In the cage, you can only fight," he said.
Yonamine doesn't remember much about the fight, even though it was four weeks ago, but he does recall being surprised when instead of beginning the match by touching gloves with the other fighter, like he expected, the referee just said, "Fight." Yonamine hesitated a little, but then went at Monet. He thought the fight only lasted several seconds, but his coach said it was more like a minute and a half.
Yonamine remembers Reilly shouting, "Break his f---ing arm," when Jay was in the driver's seat. After the fight, Reilly claimed it was only to intimidate the other guy, but in the heat of battle and as a rookie, Yonamine followed his coach's instructions. Luckily for Monet, he tapped out when he did. If Monet hadn't, he would have needed a cast.