Bellator 236 winner Zach Zane says he will take on anyone – except another Hawaiian

HONOLULU – Zach Zane claimed a unanimous decision in his all-Hawaii battle at Bellator 236, then said he never wants to face a fellow islander again.

“Man, that was a lot of fun,” he told MMA Junkie backstage after his victory over fellow Hawaiian Nainoa Dung on Saturday night. “Nothing but gratuity in my heart. Just kinda in shock and lost for words. I’m such a grateful guy.”

Zane (14-9, 1-0 BMMA) went into his battle with Dung (3-1, 2-1 BMMA) with a significant experience advantage, but it seemed pre-fight that it was his opponent who received the greater promotional push. While that situation may have irked some fighters, Zane said he appreciated why that was the case.

“I totally understand that,” he admitted. “Look at the kid, he’s 21 years old, kind of a phenom, he has a big following. I wish nothing but the best for him and his future. He’s 21 years old, but I need a future too. I want an opportunity and the blessing to show my heart to the world.”

Usually, fighters have a clear idea of where they want to take their career next, whether it’s a particular fight card they want to feature on, or a specific opponent they’d like to face next. But Zane isn’t your regular MMA fighter. Rather than saying who he does want to fight, he told reporters who he didn’t want to share the cage with.

“I don’t want to fight another Hawaii guy,” he explained. “I want to represent Hawaii. I want to go all around the world, fighting in Bellator, fight anybody around the world. I humbly would fight anyone. I have no fear in my heart, I love this, I’m a martial artist and I’m a warrior. The sky’s the limit for me.”

And if that globetrotting quest means he has to run the gauntlet and face a local favorite in their own backyard, he’s cool with that, too.

“I fought in Brave. I was a 16/1 underdog, the number-one underdog on the card in Ireland,” he said. “I know that feeling of pressure and people doubting you. I overcome adversity outside the cage, and I truly believe that if you can do that outside the cage, you can do anything in the cage. I’ve been in dark places, and the light right here, that’s where it’s at. That’s where I want to be, that that’s where I’m gonna stay.”

And for the 30-year-old, he is just happy to follow his dream and pursue his goals in the only true vocation he has found in life.

“This is all I know,” he admitted. “All I know is fighting. People go to school, people become police (officers), people become whatever they become. I became a martial artist, and here I am.”