Sage “Kid HMC” Yoshida has been training in the martial arts since he was five years old. Now, at the age of 18, he is becoming a force to be reckoned with. Just two weekends ago, Sage had made his successful mixed martial arts debut on Oahu, showing everyone that hard work (even after all these years), REALLY pays off and that the future of MMA for young Hawaii kids can be a very bright one.
Growing up in a martial arts academy, this “gym rat” was taught the essential values of martial arts – discipline, humility, respect, and self-confidence. Having trained with adults most of his life, Sage has always displayed the utmost respect to his elders and maintained his humility when training with them. He is a role model to the kids who train at the academy, proving that you can actually be a great fighter without having a bad attitude (that you sometimes see in the media).
MMASucka caught up with Kid HMC to talk about his recent MMA debut and how his upbringing has fostered his success:
When and how did you start training?
I started training in martial arts when I was five years old. My dad had me start up with Kempo karate from Universal Kempo to build a foundation in martial arts, as well as develop self-confidence and discipline. Soon after my father, Kevin Yoshida, along with Harumi Shimanishi, Mike Tanaka, and Derek Matsumoto founded the Hawaii Martial Arts Center (HMC) I started to take up boxing and kickboxing through the academy, and everything fell into place from there. I can’t recall a specific number, but I’m pretty sure I have had at least 10 fights (including kickboxing, triple threat and pankration matches) prior to my amateur MMA debut.
Because you pretty much grew up in the gym, was there ever a time that you got tired of training martial arts and wanted to do other sports?
Yes, there definitely was. Whenever I felt like I was being trained too hard or picked on by my dad or the other trainers I would question why I had to suffer through the training. (laughs) I remember telling my dad a few times too that I was being deprived of a normal childhood by the training ethics that he would implement into my lifestyle. However, I am grateful now for what he has done to help bring me up as the person who I am today.
How has training at HMC pretty much your entire life shaped you as a person? How did it feel training with mostly adults since you were a teenager?
I believe that through the family-oriented, loving and respectful atmosphere we have at HMC, it has definitely shaped me into more than just a martial artist, but a gentleman. My dad always told me to carry myself with humility and class. With that being said, in a way, training with people who were much older than me helped me to mature myself around them and kept me humble as I would always “catch cracks” from everyone. It was tough, but I did my best to stick it through.
What are you looking forward to after your first win in MMA?
I’m looking forward to recuperating from my injuries so I can get back to training and preparing for any opportunities in my future. I was going to be fighting in the DESTINY card on April 28th, but unfortunately I won’t be able to. Fortunately, however, I will be at my girlfriend’s senior prom that night. I had to include that just in case she reads this (laughs).
What more are you doing to improve your martial arts training?
To improve my martial arts training I am trying to strength train more, as well as supplement with products from one of my sponsors, USPLabs, in order to stay in the best shape possible. Also, I to train in every aspect of the mixed martial arts as much as I can whether it’ll be kickboxing, jiu-jitsu, wrestling or even judo. Having more knowledge will only benefit me in any future endeavors if I need to adapt to a particular fighter or fighting style.
Any last thoughts? Shout outs? Words of wisdom for other young kids out there?
First of all, I would like to thank God for all His blessings. Thank you to my family (immediate and HMC) and friends for all of your love and support, and for believing in me even when I doubted myself and my abilities. Shout out to my sponsors: Heavy Metal Barbell, USPLabs, Gifted By Choice, LRG Clothing, SPY Optics, GreenTea Hawaii and CarAudioTech Hawaii. I would also like to make a special thank you to the Manago family. They have allowed me to use their family name on the back of my fight shirt in memory of their late son, Zachary Manago. He was a classmate of mine at Moanalua High School, and his family, friends, everyone suffered a devastating loss when he was a victim of a hit-and-run incident. My condolences go out to his family especially. With the fight shirt, I wanted people to remember Zach for who he was and glorify his short, but inspiring life with us. When I fight, I’m not only fighting for Zach, but for everyone who loves him and the lives he has made an impact on.
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