"My grandma fought tooth and nail to protect us" - James Yang credits late grandma as his biggest inspiration

Fighters always have a reason why they compete. For James Yang, his is his beloved late grandmother.

Yang said that it was his grandmother Dung Lee who introduced him to the world of martial arts. He said that he and his grandmother would often watch movies starring Bruce Lee and Jet Li when he was growing up.

However, it was a real-life experience that pushed Yang to fully commit to martial arts. In a recent interview with ONE Championship, Yang recalled a childhood memory when his grandmother, whom he lovingly called "Po Po," protected him and his cousins from two attackers.

James Yang said:

“The biggest memory I have about that time was when my grandma took me and my cousins out to this track to walk around, and we got attacked by these two guys. They were like throwing stones at us and cursing at us, doing all the profanities. And my grandma fought tooth and nail to protect us. She threw her shoes at them and ended up walking home barefoot that day,” said the AMC Pankration fighter.

It was at that moment that Yang knew he had to get into martial arts.

“And all I could think about during that time was, ‘I wish I was bigger to protect them.’”

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James Yang wants to be an inspiration to younger fighters

Just as he’s received inspiration from his "Po Po," Yang wants to become a role model for the next generation.

Yang, who is Demetrious Johnson's training partner, can continue being that inspiration for the younger fighters when he takes on Keanu Subba at ONE: Eersel vs. Sadikovic on April 22 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

The 32-year-old will be fighting for just the second time in his professional career and he’ll bring the experiences he learned from his temple life.

When he was 17 years old, Yang left high school to live and train in a rural Chinese Shaolin temple for three years. It was during that time that he got to live as a true martial artist.

Those qualities eventually led him to sign with ONE Championship.

“I don’t want to be just copying the words [ONE] say, but they really evaluate what martial arts is about… At the end of the day, you got to think, our time is fleeting, but the next generation that’s coming up, they’re watching. The kids are always watching."

We'll see if James Yang can successfully advance his career further at ONE: Eersel vs. Sadikovic on April 22.