We had the good fortune of connecting with Kane Shirley and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kane, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
Taking risk and being open minded; I’m still young in my Jiu Jitsu journey however I feel like the reason I’ve made big leaps in my skill development in only a few years of activity training is because I’ve remained open minded to take advice from anyone. White belt, black belt and anywhere in between I can learn something from everyone! Also, competing as much as possible. Even against higher belts or heavier opponents, taking the risk to chase the opportunity to learn. It’s never about winning or losing, especially this early on. The goal should to get 1% better everyday!

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’m a Jiu Jitsu athlete, I’ve competed for promotions like East Coast Grappling, Blue Coast League, TFA Pro, and more to come as the months go on! A recent highlight from my competition journey would be winning a match under 50 seconds via Darce Choke and a low of my competition journey was losing my most recent event via buggy choke. I’ve learned a lot from competing, one of the biggest lessons is that hard work ain’t always far. You can work your ass off and still lose, but that doesn’t mean the hard work shouldn’t be done. Regardless how you feel mentally, how you think the outcome will be; you owe yourself to put in the work! That match I got buggy choked, I thought I was going to kill that guy easy and I lost. Ironically enough, I was fairly nervous other matches where I went on to win. You can only focus on what you can control in life; that’s your effort. You will never be able to control the outcome so enjoy the process of putting in work, and accept what comes with that. Stop stressing, start enjoying your path. Ups and downs, one day we’ll all be old and look back on these days and cherish em!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I’m not much of the going out type of person honestly. I just work, train, eat and sleep so I’m barely aware of what’s in the city. However, if we’re trying to have a good time where I’m from, outside of the gym, we’re definitely going to get some good food. Maybe at Sachas, I love columbian food and you can’t beat columbian women haha. I grew up playing street ball with friends so maybe go shoot some hoops a couple hours after we fuel up on food! There are some cool places and clubs downtown I MIGHT recommend but like I said I’m not much of that type of person so it’s iffy. A good time for me is always though hanging at the house, smoking a little devil’s lecture and playing Warzone or studying film. Some homies get it, and the ones who don’t ain’t the homie haha

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
James Linic is a man who deserves most, if not all credit for where I’m currently at in my journey. I met James when I was maybe 15, but couldn’t keep training with him due to my parents not giving me rides etc. However, later in time about a month after I turned 19 I came back to train with James as a broken and confused kid. I was involved in the wrong groups of people, doing stupid things and risking my freedom on a weekly basis. James has invested so much time into making me the best I can be not only on the mats, but off the mats. I’m currently 22, and I can confidently say if I never met James not only would I maybe not be training and competing in Jiu Jitsu but I also may not of lived to see this age!

Instagram: @SugaKaneShirley

Facebook: Kane Shirley

Youtube: @SugaKaneShirley

Other: Snapchat – @SugaKaneSnaps

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