The five-year anniversary of Yancy Medeiros vs. Alex Oliveira is happening later this year and if you have not seen it, you should probably go watch it.
At UFC 218 in Detroit, Michigan, Medeiros and ‘Cowboy’ Oliveira threw down in an instant classic. The fight would win Fight of the Night, obviously, but it would also be awarded Fight of the Year by ESPN and other media outlets.
In a recent interview with Cageside Press, Medeiros reflected on the fight.
“There was a whole adventure about that fight. I remember the first round, just my whole the whole mindset, was ‘Brah, f*ck you.’ He was dropping me left or right, and I’m like, ‘You’re gonna die’,” Medeiros said. “Like, these things are just going all in my head, and I had to give myself a little ego check. [I told myself] ‘hey, damn it, listen to your corner. Stop listening to your emotion. Get back to the damn game plan; what the hell.’ So, yeah, I think as the fight progressed, I started getting more Yancy and more tactical and just more me.”
The Hawaiian would end up finishing Oliveria in the third round. While Mederios isn’t always in classic wars like at UFC 218, he says that is what the fans love, and he is an entertainer at the end of the day.
“I don’t always get into those types of fights, but I mean, it’s just my path. But yeah, like bro, we’re there to entertain,” Medeiros said. “You know, don’t block punches with your face, but we’re there to entertain. People want to see fights; they want to see finishes, and it’s all about how you implement that. The game plan is always to take less punches and give more and get the finish as quick as you can. Well, other than that, we train for fights like that. We’re physically, mentally, psychologically ready for that. So, if it happens.”
“I’ve had fights like that at 205. I’ve definitely had fights at that at 170, and I’ve had fights at 155- Same shit, different toilet, and the guy I’m fighting brings it, so you know what I mean? It’s got two brown boys with brown pride.”
After 15 fights with the UFC and being in the promotion since 2013, Mederios is making his Bellator debut at Bellator 279. He is fighting No. 6 ranked featherweight Emmanual Sanchez, who is moving up in weight.
Mederios is planning for a fun fight, especially because he is fighting in Hawaii for the first time since 2009. Will it be a Mederios vs. Oliveira type of fight? The Hawaiian says he is game to make another classic fight.
Watch the rest of our interview with Yancy Mederios above, where he talks about his UFC release, his upcoming Bellator debut, and much more.
