Kaitlin
Young answered when opportunity knocked.
A short-notice substitution for the injured
Julia Budd,
“The Striking Viking” will challenge two-time defending
Professional Fighters League women’s lightweight champion
Kayla
Harrison in the
PFL 6 main event on Friday at Overtime Elite Arena in Atlanta.
Young has rattled off five wins across her past eight outings.
However, she finds herself on the rebound following back-to-back
losses to
Mariana
Morais and the aforementioned Budd.
As Young makes final preparations for her upcoming clash with the
undefeated Harrison at 155 pounds, here are five things you might
not know about her:
1. Humble beginnings provided her foundation.
Young was born in Circle Pines, Minnesota, a small town of roughly
5,000 people situated some 15 miles northeast of Minneapolis.
It
ranked third on CNBC’s list of “10 Perfect Suburbs” in 2011,
based on a “mix of affordable housing, good schools, educated
neighbors, low crime, employment and reasonable commutes.”
2. Early returns were glowing.
The taekwondo black belt burst on the mixed martial arts scene as a
promising 22-year-old in 2007. Young started her career 4-0 and
famously won the HOOKnSHOOT women’s grand prix with three
sub-minute finishes on Nov. 24, 2007.
Miesha
Tate—a future
Ultimate Fighting Championship and
Strikeforce
titleholder—was the second of her three victims, bowing to a head
kick in just 30 seconds.
3. She does not shy away from switching gears.
Young put her competitive career on hold to join
Invicta Fighting Championships as a matchmaker after enduring a
five-bout winless streak between April 28, 2012 and Nov. 1, 2014.
She returned to the cage a little less than four years later, her
sabbatical having lasted nearly 1,400 days.
4. Her travels have been limited.
Only one of Young’s 25 pro bouts has taken place outside the
continental United States. She took a unanimous decision from
Reina
Miura at Rizin Fighting Federation 12 on Aug. 12, 2018 in
Nagoya, Japan.
5. She ventures outside the cage.
Young holds a bachelors degree in kinesiology and exercise science
from the University of Minnesota. She is licensed in MMA
Conditioning Specialization by the National Academy of Sports
Medicine and is a certified strength and conditioning specialist by
the National Strength and Conditioning Association.