Yancy Medeiros (15-4) and Daniel “Cowboy” Cerrone (32-10) face off in the main event of UFC Fight Night 126 taking place at the Frank Erwin Center in Austin, Texas, Sunday night.
Cerrone is on a three-fight losing streak, which is the longest of his career as he hasn’t won since December 2016 when he defeated Matt Brown at UFC 206. Despite losses to Jorge Masvidal, Robbie Lawler and Darren Till in 2017, Cerrone enters the fight as the favorite because his defeats came against top fighters, while Medeiros has yet to prove himself against opponents of a bigger caliber.
Medeiros, who has won six of his last eight fights, is a brawler that lacks kicking skills and a good footwork and as a result, you will see him resorting to brutal punching flurries in most fights.
He is improving his overall skills and is currently on a three-fight winning streak as he has not lost since May 2016, when he was defeated by Francisco Trinaldo at UFC 198.
Before his current losing streak, Cerrone had won four straight fights, all in 2016. Those victories came against Alex Oliveira, Patrick Cote, Rick Story and Matt Brown.
Cerrone is a slow starter, but if he aims to Medeiros leg and body he will be on his way to defeating the Hawaiian. Cerrone must try to use his long-range kicks to try to weaken Medeiros and eventually knock him out or win by submission.
Medeiros for his part will try to use his active jab to set up his power shots, which have more knockout power than people tend to believe.
Medeiros’ biggest problem is his defense and against Cerrone, that is a fatal sin. Despite an outstanding ability to withstand and recover from big hits, Medeiros will not persevere in this encounter with Cerrone, who should win this one in the early going.
