Fighter Profile: Austin Yalowitz

Name: Austin Yalowitz

Birthdate: 11/22/2003 (19 years old)

Location: Fort Lee, NJ / Currently a student at the University of Miami

Fighting out of: Bushido Muay Thai, Arise Jiu Jitsu, and Buctown MMA

Weight Class: Bantamweight

Record & Accolades: 2-0 Amateur MMA Fighter, BJJ blue belt, 3x Wrestling Region Qualifier, 4th in Bergen County Wrestling Tournament, Wrestling District Champion, Former Captain of Fort Lee HS Wrestling Team

Favorite Food: Pasta with vodka sauce. It has been my favorite since I was 5 years old and I love Italian food in general.

How did you first become interested in fighting, and what motivated you to start training as an amateur fighter?

My first experience with mixed martial arts was through wrestling. When I was 4 years old my Dad signed me up for the local town wrestling program. At the beginning, I didn't really enjoy Wrestling and I was not good at it. For the first few years that I did it, I lost most of my matches and the only reason I didn't quit was because my Dad wanted me to do it. Wrestling was really nerve racking for me, but overtime I improved and by my Freshman year of High School I started to enjoy it more. In Middle School I started training Brazilian Jiu jitsu and I continued during the wrestling off-season in high school. During COVID, I found Buctown MMA and that was when I really started becoming more passionate about Combat Sports and I started to consider fighting after High School. At Buctown I developed my striking and I also learned how to combine my wrestling and Jiu Jitsu into MMA. When I came to the University of Miami I found two gyms near the campus and I started training consistently for my first fight which was in February of 2023.

Can you describe your typical training routine, and how you balance it with other aspects of your life (such as work, family, or school)?

I try to train everyday. Sometimes it is difficult because of school, and I am also in the Army ROTC program. I usually wake up around 5:30am for ROTC physical training which consists of running, lifting, and calisthenics. After this I go to my classes, then do my homework and train at night. On weekends I usually wake up early and do multiple sessions and a lot of sparring. My training consists of Wrestling, Boxing, Muay Thai, MMA, and Jiu Jitsu.

What has been your most challenging or memorable fight so far, and what lessons did you learn from it?

So far my most challenging fight was my first one because I had a last minute opponent change and it was a new experience for me. I had never cut that much weight before, and the experience was much different from High School Wrestling. I won the fight by first round guillotine submission and I gained a lot of knowledge from this fight specifically about weight cutting, dieting, and handling the stress that fighting in front of hundreds of spectators causes.

How do you mentally and physically prepare yourself for a fight? Are there any pre-fight rituals or routines that you follow?

During fight week I train very little and primarily focus on the weight cut. Most of my training is very light and technical and I think a lot about strategy and different ways that I can win the fight. On fight day I try to stay as relaxed as possible and I don't focus on the negative possibilities and the things that I can't control. I do a 15-20 minute fast paced warm up, but I try to stay as calm and emotionless as possible when entering the cage. I perform best when I fight without emotion and nerves because I can focus purely on being technical.

As an amateur fighter, what are your short-term and long-term goals, and how do you plan to achieve them in the competitive world of martial arts?

As an amateur fighter I want to continue getting more fights and developing my weaknesses to become a more well-rounded fighter. I would like to compete in jiu jitsu tournaments and maybe even kickboxing fights. Eventually I want to go pro and my long term goal is to fight in the UFC. Right now I am focusing on staying consistent with my training and developing in the different areas of mixed martial arts.