UFC 218 results: Yancy Medeiros TKOs Alex Oliveira after comeback in ridiculous bloody scrap

Yancy Medeiros broke something in Alex Oliveira, and not just his nose.

After more than two rounds of raucous back-and-forth action in which both fighters were badly hurt, Oliveira (17-5-1 MMA, 7-3 UFC) winced and wilted, and Medeiros (15-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC) closed the slow at the 2:02 mark of the final frame.

The welterweight bout was part of the preliminary card of today’s UFC 218 event at the new Little Caesars Arena in downtown Detroit. It aired on FS1 following additional prelims on UFC Fight Pass and ahead of a main card on pay-per-view.

Oliveira had Medeiros out on his feet at several points in the first, chasing the Hawaiian around the octagon with right hands. Early on, Oliveira prioritized body work with kicks, allowing up to move upstairs and catch Medeiros clean.

Medeiros repayed the charges with a left straight that briefly dropped Oliveira to the mat and busted his nose. But as the first round came to a close, it was Medeiros that was holding on for dear life as Oliveira pounded away.

The only problem for Oliveira was, Medeiros simply wouldn’t quit.

As the second frame got underway, Medeiros again found his left hand and caught Oliveira coming in. For the first time, Oliveira started to backpedal, on the defensive. Medeiros seized the initiative with body work. And when Oliveira dove for a takedown, he reversed and unleashed hellacious elbows from mount position.

Oliveira had one last dash in the third round, chasing Medeiros around the cage with more right hands. A pair of suplexes put the Brazilian in top position. But the pace of his footwork had clearly caught up, because Medeiros spun out of back control and escaped submission danger.

When Oliveira exploded back to his feet, he backpedaled for no apparent reason. Not wasting a moment, Medeiros gave chase and fired off a flurry of punches. Oliveira dropped to the mat, seemingly as much from the cumulation of blows than one particular event.

It was a triumphant turnaround and sure bonus-winner for Medeiros, who’s now won three straight. Since returning to the welterweight division, Oliveira is now 2-1 with one no contest.

Up-to-the-minute UFC 218 results include:

• Yancy Medeiros def. Alex Oliveira via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 2:02
• David Teymur def. Drakkar Klose via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
• Felice Herrig def. Cortney Casey via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• Amanda Cooper def. Angela Magana via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 4:34
• Abdul Razak Alhassan def. Sabah Homasi via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:21
• Dominick Reyes def. Jeremy Kimball via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 3:39
• Justin Willis def. Allen Crowder via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 2:33

For complete coverage of UFC 218, check out the UFC Events section of the site.

(MMAjunkie’s Matt Erickson and Mike Bohn contributed to this report on site in Detroit.)