When Louisiana’s Yehia Riles steps into the Fury FC cage on Friday, it’ll be his 26th fight in just about five years time. Between his work as an amateur and as a professional, “Yaya” has always stayed busy. That work ethic and ability to fight whenever, wherever, comes from his time as a wrestler – never passing up a chance to scrap.
“I come from a wrestling background and it all starts at high school. My coach in high school, Robbie Doughty, he was a general when it comes to wrestling,” Riles explained. “He had us wrestling maybe about like 70 matches a year, you know? And I mean, why am I going to wait for the opportunity to arrive?”
While his time as a high school wrestler helped shape his work ethic, the seeds of MMA were in far before he even knew what wrestling was. He grew up in a family that loved to watch MMA and had it on the screen all the time. Although he never made plans to chase that as a dream, it definitely started him on this path.
“I didn’t know what wrestling was until I got to high school. All I did growing up with my family, my uncles, heavy Latino family, and we were always watching fighting, you know?” he said. “I grew up watching Rashad Evans, Rampage Jackson, Chuck Liddell and all them – we were always just watching it, and I just knew I liked it. Didn’t know I was going to go towards it. I didn’t think of it. I didn’t think I’d be in this position today. But it goes all the way back then. It’s just a little seed that was planted.”
And with that seed planted, he’s pushed forward in a career that has led him to the top of the regional scene. This Friday he takes on Fury FC lightweight champion Hector Saenz in a fight that could set the winner up for a shot at the big show. Despite the elevated stakes, Riles is as confident as ever.
“It’s going to come, it’s going to end with a dominant performance from me. That’s for sure,” Riles said. “I’m going to dominate. That’s what I’m going to do. That’s what I plan on doing every single fight.”
You can catch Riles as he chases the Fury FC lightweight belt on Fury FC 116 this Friday. The fight is the main event with the card beginning at 9pm EST on UFC Fight Pass.
