Tribal member headed for college then hoping to go pro as MMA fighter

By Nicole Montesano

Smoke Signals staff writer

It was a trying fight, but Willamina High School graduate and Tribal member Devin Huston said he feels good about the way he handled his MMA cage match Saturday, Aug. 16, against opponent Kysen Knox in the featherweight division. The match took place at Chinook Winds Casino in Lincoln City. Huston won two of the three rounds.

“Going into the fight I was very confident in myself,” he said. “I knew about my wrestling; I knew I could outwrestle the guy and I wanted to test my strike skills.”

He said Knox got in a number of solid punches.

 “I got, I think five or six takedowns. … I wasn’t going to stand and take it and give nothing in return,” he said.

Huston’s also proud that he withstood an arm bar from Knox. In MMA speak, it’s a move that targets the opponent’s elbow joint, aiming to cause hyperextension and force them to tap out.

“It was my dad’s birthday and a lot of people from the casino were there supporting me, so there was no way I was going to tap (out),” he said.

In the end, two of the three judges awarded Huston 29 to Knox’s 28, with the third judge reversing that score.

Huston said it’s likely his last fight for the year, as he is moving to Coos Bay this month to attend Southwestern Oregon Community College. He plans to wrestle and to major in business.

He wants to make a career of MMA fighting with a professional debut next summer.

“I figure businesses will help me brand and sell myself,” he said. “I’ve done a pretty good job of marketing myself these last two fights; my following has grown quite a bit; and I got recognized out on the street a couple of times, so that’s really cool.”

He said that while he plans to continue training while in Coos Bay, “I really want to go wrestle another two years. It’s going to be nice not to get punched in the face every day. … I’m mostly just excited about wrestling. I miss it.”

Huston said he feels confident that “when I come back into the octagon, it’s just going to be another level.”