He is 22 years old and has only two fights as a professional in MMA, but Yaman Mjahed Nogales 'The Diamond' (2-0) He behaves like a UFC veteran. The Basque fighter, who comes from winning in Wow! 15 scam his second finish in two PRO fights, visited El Último Asalto on Radio MARCA to talk about his present… and his future.
“These are days of rest, taking advantage of them. Recovering energy,” he said at the start. He finished Diego Larrea (2-2) in the third round to to a packed Vistalegre Palace. 8,000 people on a record night for Spanish MMA. “In WOW 15 I didn't even give 60% of my fighting capacity. I can give a lot more on a technical level, in terms of cunning, physicality… And that will make me come back even better,” he warns. Sign up for WOW 17… on November 30th, again in Madrid.
In WOW 15 I didn't even give 60% of my capacity to fight. I can give much more
Yaman 'The Diamond' visits MARCA.
A path… of destiny
But there is much more to Yaman than fighting. He is 22 years old, but in front of the microphone and through a radio without an image, the listener feels a seasoned fighter. His environment was key in this. His uncle, above all. “He has always taught me to train the mind, not just the body. You have to cultivate the mind and the foundation within yourself so that everything is reflected on the outside,” Yaman confirms.
You have to cultivate the mind and the foundation within yourself so that everything is reflected on the outside.
“I remember my first class when I was 14 and I said 'wow, what is this I've done'. I looked him up on YouTube when I got home and McGregor came up. And I thought, 'Wow, that's what I'm going to do for the rest of my life.' I'm a big believer in destiny, that we all have a path, it's inevitable… and I remember that. I looked at the best fighters… but also at the best athletes and businessmen. I adapted to their habits to develop myself as a person and a fighter. It's not enough to just be good inside the cage. You have to be natural… but also know how to sell yourself well,” he analyses. 'El Diamante', as we explained, goes further.
It's not enough to just be good inside the cage. You have to be natural… but also know how to sell yourself well.
The Basque fighter has several phrases that he burns into his daily life. “I am inevitable,” first; “pressure makes diamonds,” later. He confirms it with his work… and sacrifice. He overcame a serious knee injury and met Ilia Topuria, one of his role models. He did so at WOW 15, a few days ago. First, at the press conference; then, at Vistalegre. WOW, the largest MMA promoter in Spain today, bet on him and placed him on the front page… to the left of the 'Matador' at the press conference. Destined to meet. To be on the same plane. “Obviously I will meet him, the best meet the best, so it's inevitable,” he told MARCA in May. He delivered.
Yaman 'The Diamond', during his visit to MARCA.
There will be times of everything… but I know I have what it takes
Yaman, who took up karate at the age of six but quit because he lacked the “feeling” of combat, made his final decision at the age of 18. The turning point: “When I was 18, I started to think seriously about it. Do I really want to do this? Is this my path? I felt it, I believed it, and I said: 'I have to create it.' I got together with my family, left school, and dedicated myself 100% to it. “I know it's not going to be easy. There will be times of everything… but I know I have what it takes. At that time I hadn't even done an MMA fight. But I had that idea and I started to follow it. So far we're doing well, I think.”
Road to the UFC
And now, at just 22 years old and 2-0 as a professional, he's moving on to the UFC. The goal of every MMA fighter. However, although his record is now spotless, 'The Diamond' has already tasted defeat. He did it as an amateur, and he does it in his daily life: “It's not just something about sport, it's something that is extrapolated to life. There are also moral defeats in training when your mind tells you to go one more round and you don't do it. Defeats must be managed and they are what allow you to accumulate experience and wisdom. Defeat is there, in the day to day.”
Defeats must be managed and are what allow you to accumulate experience and wisdom. Defeat is there, in everyday life.
Yaman visits MARCA.
Experiences that have certainly helped him to find his way… and that help him in the difficult task of meeting the expectations of a country that is fully immersed in the ocean of mixed martial arts, with dozens of fighters hoping to reach Olympus, the best league in the world. He is not afraid of challenges: “I'm not afraid of being labeled as a future UFC player. In my mind, it's already happened. I just have to prove it to the world. Time will tell.”
Regardless of what people say, I have a clear path and nothing and no one is going to change my course.”
“As Muhammad Ali used to say, 'The important thing is that they speak.'” “I know what I am, I know the direction I have, I know where I am going… I work day by day and I have that confidence. Regardless of what people say, I have the path marked out and nothing and no one is going to change my course,” he concludes… as with his opponents. He hasn't set a date, he's not in a hurry, but he knows it will happen. He'll be in the UFC. It's just a matter of time.
