Meet Austin Liu | Pro MMA Fighter & Stunt Actor

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

Hi Austin, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking.
I think where most people see risk in a slightly negative light, and try to mitigate it in their lives; I personally love risk. I feel that taking risks are where you’re usually going to see your biggest payoffs. If it doesn’t pay off in the way you had anticipated, there’s always a lesson to be learned or some growth to be had from that experience. I feel that the more risks you take in life, the more comfortable you become with them and you improve your ability to perform under pressure. No diamonds are made without some pressure.

Personally in my life, I love to take risks and I feel the only reason I am where I am is because of all the leaps of faith I took and just vowed to figure things out on the way. I didn’t care to try to plan things too far in advance and succumb to analysis paralysis. I knew if I wanted something bad enough, I would work hard to figure it out and do what had to be done on the way, rather than waste too much time worrying about what could happen.

The first major risk I took was dropping out of school to pursue my MMA career. In my fighting career, my fighting style was recognized for being chaotic and always taking risks, whether they were smart or not. I wanted to give people entertainment when they came to my fights. Accepting dangerous fights constantly and making risky decisions during such a dangerous sport helped build my confidence and carefree attitude for sure.

A couple years ago, I realized that I won’t live forever, so I should do the things I want to do while I have the spark and interest. This is what prompted me to try join the entertainment world in the forms of acting, stunts, and content creation. Looking back, I didn’t really see it as a huge risk to put time into these things since I love to do them, but others would definitely be hesitant to jump head-first into a completely new field of work just on a whim.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I would love my story to be one of inspiration, so that others that hear of it can realize that we all struggle and they can reach their next breakthrough if they have the perseverance and willpower to push their toughest obstacles and hardships. I’m not sure if anything about me sets me apart from others. I think everyone struggles to become the version of themselves they feel they should become. Few actually have the courage to take the risks and leaps of faith to get to where they want to be. People are fearful of the opinions of others.

I am most proud of choosing to chase my dreams from the age of 19 and taking the biggest perceived risk to myself at the time of giving up my higher education to chase an athletic dream. I got to where I am professionally just by working hard, having fun, staying passionate and curious about the things I loved, and surrounded myself with like-minded people who could elevate eachother.

I’d be lying if I said things have been easy at any point of my life after turning 18. I had some extremely low points that made me question if all of this was worth it. I’m sure most ambitious people do. I just came to the conclusion that I’ll die one day anyways, so why not take these risks and treat life like a video game: achieving the highest score possible before my playtime is up.

I don’t care all that much about how the world views my brand or story, as long as it’s in a positive light, I’d love if the next generation could take inspiration from it. If I hadn’t had my inspirations growing up, I wouldn’t have had the courage to chase my dreams either. I think as humans we all have things we can learn from each other, and I don’t see myself as above anyone else. I realize that I have a platform and a slightly bigger voice now; so I try to be conscious of my impact and my message since I have many supporters both old and young.

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?
My favorite way to exp[ore a new place is by hitting the best spots to eat. As far as food goes, it’s mandatory to hit a good KBBQ spot if you’re starving. I highly recommend a spot like PZK KKBQ in Fairfax or Gangnam Station in Koreatown. If you’re in the mood for soul food, I love Fixins Kitchen in Downtown LA.

Some cool gyms I’ve been to with some awesome people and great vibes have been Prevail Boxing in North Hollywood and the Undefeated Gym in Westlake.

If you’re a tourist and you love the outdoors, you probably want to do the Hollywood sign hike or Griffith Park.

For me, the coolest parts of LA to see are the places that motivate me. I feel this the most when I drive past somewhere like Rodeo Drive and see all the nice shops and houses in the area.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would love to credit my successes in virtually everything to my family who has continually supported me through all my ups and downs. I also have many coaches to thank for my success in martial arts such as my Taekwondo coach: Derrik Carter, my Muay Thai coaches: Jasper Tayaba, Hieu Ngo, and Ming Vang. I have to thank my stunt mentor, Steven Ho, for putting work into me, helping me get started in the stunt world, and helping me network with some awesome people.

Website: Liudynasty 劉 嘉 俊 | Linktree

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/liudynasty/

Twitter: https://x.com/LiuDynastyMMA

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuAFolR2Az3oLtA1EtPT1Og

Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@liudynasty?lang=en

Image Credits
Scott Hirano
Brandon Liu
Sergio Gonzales