Yancy Medeiros jokes after stoppage in 'Cowboy' loss: 'Where's Mario when you need him?'

AUSTIN, Texas – Yancy Medeiros wasn’t exactly thrilled with Herb Dean’s stoppage in Sunday’s UFC Fight Night 126 main event, but he’s not going to make a big fuss over it.

Medeiros (15-5 MMA, 6-5 UFC) suffered a first-round TKO loss to Donald Cerrone (33-10 MMA, 20-7 UFC) at UFC Fight Night 126, which took place at Frank Erwin Center in Austin, Texas, and aired on FS1 following early prelims on UFC Fight Pass. The stoppage came after he was knocked down with a punch in the waning seconds of the opening frame, and the referee stepped in at the 4:58 mark of first.

Being the fighter he is, Medeiros felt he could have lasted for the final two ticks on the clock, recovered during the round break and fought on in the second frame. Medeiros joked another referee may have handled it different, but he’s ultimately accepting of his reality.

“I wasn’t your huckleberry tonight, but hats off to ‘Cowboy,’ he caught me with a nice right hand (with) two seconds left, hurt me, stopped it,” Medeiros told MMAjunkie post-fight. “I felt I could have continued, but he didn’t feel that way. We had an inside joke with my team, ‘Like (expletive), where’s Mario (Yamasaki) when you need him? I was just (expletive) around. But he caught me.

“Obviously I know that the ref is there to watch for our safety. Obviously Herb Dean didn’t see that I was safe, or safe enough to continue, so, it’s his call. Got to learn. Got to make adjustments, but I’ll be back. Hats off to ‘Cowboy.'”

Medeiros was in high spirits despite not getting his desired result at UFC Fight Night 126. There was an overwhelming sense of positivity inside the octagon after the stoppage, with Medeiros and Cerrone embracing. Afterward, Medeiros jumped the cage and shared a moment with Cerrone’s grandmother, who attends all of his fights.

The relationship between Medeiros and Cerrone has been more than cordial since the fight was booked. Medeiros even gifted “Cowboy” a new hat during weigh-ins, which raised concerns about whether he was perhaps getting too friendly with his opponent. Medeiros said that had nothing to do with the outcome.

“It’s all about vibes, and I’ll always give that aloha spirit,” Medeiros said. “‘Cowboy’ is someone hard to be mad at. It’s like, ‘Damn, man.’ He’s just a happy dude, too. I respect him a lot. He fights 100 times a year, and he just caught me good. I’m going to be back. I’m going to make my adjustments, and I will strive to be better.”

As far as the post-fight interaction with Cerrone’s grandmother, Medeiros said he enjoyed the moment and that some gifts could be coming from the other side sooner than alter.

“She came up to the fence and she was pointing and I was like, ‘I have to give grandma some love,'” Medeiros said. “It’s all love in there. I’m always going to give that aloha spirit. Win or lose, I would have done the same thing. I would have hugged him.

“She said she was going to give me some gifts and whatnot. You just have to show that love. I’m a momma’s boy. I’m very close to my mom. I’m just appreciative. Having his family there, my family there. All I can show is that aloha spirit, and I have to give grandma some love.”

For complete coverage of UFC Fight Night 126, check out the UFC Events section of the site.