Name: Shayne Stephenson
Age: 21
Height: 5'7
Fight Weight: 135
School: Lakeville MMA
Record: 1-2
City/State Born: Fall River, MA
1. When and Why did you get into MMA??
I got into MMA when I was 16. I was actually, going up to a Dragon Lair Grappling Tournament in Natick to watch my brother and my friend Matt Vitale compete. On the way up we stopped at a Dunkin Donuts and some how they got on topic of wanting me to enter the tournament just for shits and giggles and they would pay my entry fee. Even though I had no experience and no idea what I was doing. I think I had a couple months wrestling experience at the time. I started
wrestling my sophomore year at Middleboro High so I was like sure, I didn't hesitate to say yea, I love to compete and I'm a quick learner, plus wrestling's half the battle, right? So I entered and they were trying to teach me a couple moves before my matches. None of which I remembered, but I think I had 3 matches and won 1 match, with an arm in guillotine. A couple people came up to me and asked how long I've been training, and that I was pretty good, I enjoyed the reactions on they're faces when I looked at the clock and told them about 20 minutes. ;P I fell in love with the sport and I've been doing it ever since.
2. Do you have a background in martial arts, boxing , wrestling etc?
I don't have too much of a background in Martial Arts or boxing. I did wrestle in high school a little and I was average at best, until my senior year things started to click and I got good but it was a little too late. I did Tae Kwon Do when I lived in Fall River when I was really little, but only until I was like a yellow belt. I just loved sparring, but none of the kids I sparred with could get get their leg up with there kicks, and I kept getting kicked in the crackers, which pissed me off so much I didn't want to do it anymore. My brother continued with it, and a kid joined somewhere down the road that was pretty good and strong, and was beating everyone so I joined for a little while too see if I could beat him, which I did end up doing, and after that I got bored with it again. Outside of that, I just remember
always loving to fight, Fall River was a pretty tough place growing up and I had a temper so I was always in street fights, and I remember walking home from school one day and thinking to myself, "...if I could ever just fight and get paid for it and not get in trouble, that's what I want to do." You know like 7 years down the road, here I am.
3. What's you nickname, how did you get it?
I don't have a nickname yet, not sure if I ever will or want one. I think nicknames have to be earned, and I've been called many things, none of which really stuck. Soo, I dont know we’ll see. My last job though I was joking around with my boss, I used to deliver pizza's and when he asked if I had a nickname I told him I was going to be Shayne "The Delivery Boy" Stephenson, haha. Good thing that one didn't stick.
4. What are your ultimate goals in the sport?
My ultimate goal I can imagine is pretty much like anyone else's in the sport, I want to be able to put a real job on hold and train full time, and be the best in whatever weight class
I end up staying in. It's looking like 135.
5. What do you think about your next opponent?
I don't think much about him. He's just my next opponent, I train the same for everyone. I'm not working on anything in particular to beat him, just working on everything. I've seen 1 video on him I see what he
can do, he looks tough, and I've heard he's a tough kid. It should be a good fight.
6. How do you see the fight going/being finished?
Honestly, I love to say me getting a knockout whenever somebody asks me this question but, this might sound odd, but I'm hoping it goes to a decision, a big problem of mine has been cardio. I was a big smoker, drinker etc for a while when I was going through some hard times, and I just recently quit it all. I'd like too see this fight as a test of how much I've improved my cardio.
7. What weight do you walk at/how much do you cut to fight?
When I first started filling out all my paperwork and getting my medicals done to fight I was about 160 hoping to fight at 155. I got down to about 148, and I was asked to fight at 140 for my first fight.
I didn’t think I would make it, but I did and fought 140. That night I was asked to fight the next week at 135, so I took it, cut that weight and fought. Then I fought at 150 about a month later and pretty much ate whatever I wanted didn't cut any weight.
My next fight after that was set up for 135 again, I dropped the weight and unfortunately had to withdraw from that fight. Ever since then I've been walking around 140, and don't have to cut any weight for my next fight. When I get a fight at 135 again, i'll be cuttin 5 lbs ;P
8. What's your favorite part about fighting?
My favorite part about fighting, is just being caught in the moment. The fight itself, nothing else matters.
9. What's the worst part about fighting?
There is no worst part, I love it all. The preparation, the nerves, the dieting, getting hit, hitting back. I guess the worst part is that I just can't do it as often as I'd like, haha.
10. Anyone locally or in the big's that you really would love to fight, and why?
Ummm, no one in particular just who ever is next. A fights a fight no matter who it's with, and I don't dislike anyone to make me want to fight them.
11. What do you feel is your best weapon in your fights?
I'm not exactly sure, I've only had 3 fights and I approached each fight a little differently, seeing what worked and where I felt comfortable. Because no matter what your good at, or great at, or even bad at in training, once you get in the cage it all changes. After my next fight I'll have a better idea, I'd have to say my strength though, I think I'm a pretty strong 135er.
12. What is your favorite foods that you miss while cutting weight??
Ohhhh man, everything. I'm a fat kid at heart, if I didn't fight I'd be huuuuge. I'm not a big fan of candy though, hardly ever eat it even if I'm not dieting, I love Chinese food, any kind of fast food, you know chicken parm, seafood. Anything, you name it.
13. What is your most memorable moment to date in MMA??
My most memorable date in MMA, was the day of my first fight. I lost , but just to be there was unreal. Chasing my dream of wanting to fight in the cage, amateur/professional, whatever. It screwed up my life, I gave up everything for it. I thought about it constantly in school, always a distraction. I got kicked out of my house at one point because all I cared about was training, and I had gotten grounded from going for something. It was the perfect punishment and I couldn't let them take it away, I would go crazy. I chose to live in my car than to not be able to fight. Ever since then it was a downward roller coaster, I dropped out of college at one point to train full time, which didn't end up working out because I couldn't afford the training or anything. I went through a lot of hard times, made a lot of dumb choices, but I never gave up on fighting. I fought for the opportunity to fight. I fought for years. At times it seemed impossible and as if I would never get there, and that I needed count my losses and move on with a normal life, if that was even possible anymore. But for whatever reason I didn't, I'm a fighter and I stuck with it. I was training and living in a gym in Wareham looking at an opportunity for my first fight, when what do you know things went sour again. But I kept training and decided I would try to get my own fight. I made phone calls, emails, what ever I could do. And Michael Polvere of Cage Titans FC saved my life, he gave me my shot. I didn't have a gym or anything really to train for the fight but just to be there that day, to fight, with an audience, with other real fighters, the spotlight, anything, everything that was involved, was amazing. Everything I went through to get there, no matter what it was, was suddenly worth it, win or lose didn't matter. I made it and to be able to say I got there on my own just made it that much better.
That was the most memorable date for me in MMA, I mean I could win the title or whatever, nothing can beat that moment.
14. How else do you spend your time when you are not training??
I used to just spend all my time with my friends, but now if I'm not in training I'm at the gym or in bed haha. I've recently patched things up with my family and I've been spending a lot of time with them as well.
15. What do you do for a living besides fighting??
Right now besides fighting for a living, I'm just trying to stack some dough and get myself out of debt, taking side work where I can get it and get my life back on track, eventually I want to go back to college, and maybe even sooner than that get a personal trainers license, since I live in the gym anyways, haha.
I'd like to thank my trainer John Morando from Lakeville MMA, and all my training partners! Shout out to my little brother and sister Tori and Jake, you can do anything if you put your minds to it! Love you guys. My little/big brother Bren, love ya kid ;P. The rest of my family for all of life's lessons, Mom, Dad, I love you guys!
And to everyone that doubted me, and told me I couldn't do it, you were my motivation! ... Look at me now!
Wow I really liked Shayne after the first time I seen him fight at Premier FC 4. He had a submission victory and it was great to witness his first MMA win first hand. He enjoyed our review and pics and we just always kept in touch. Thank you for taking your time away from your training to give us this awesome Featured Fighter segment Shayne. You look great at 135 and you know I have told you before, that is the weight you should be fighting at! All of us at WesternMassMMA.com want to wish you the best of luck this Saturday Night at Cage Titans Vendetta. Of course folks we will be covering it, after all “we get you closer to the cage!!”