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March 27, 2013

Featured Fighter: Yann Oliveira


Name: Yann Oliveira
Age: 24
Height: 5.11"
Fight Weight: 135lbs-145lbs
School: Renzo Gracie NH/Sityodtong Boston
Record: MMA 2-0
City/State Born: Conselheiro Pena, Minas Gerais, Brazil

1. When and Why did you get into MMA??

I started doing MMA in High school when a friend of mine told me about a place that his cousin used to train at, so I decided to try it because I was sick and tired of getting bullied by certain people. I wanted to learn how to defend myself properly and earn my respect from the ones that never gave it to me and if fighting the guys that use to bully me was the only way of getting it then I was going to do what I had to do, but not at any point did I think I would do MMA just to get revenge on anyone.  I just really wanted to learn and get better.



2. Did you have a background in martial arts, boxing , wrestling etc prior to being a
licensed in MA? 

I did Capoeira when I was younger for a couple of weeks then I also tried Jiu Jitsu for a couple of weeks but what I really wanted to do was play soccer, specially living in Brazil that's all I really did besides going to school as a kid.

3. What's your nickname, how did you get it? 

The Nickname that has stuck with me the most is "Handsome" Yann, and I got that nickname from Chris Grandmaison, former fighter out of Renzo Gracie NH. It all started because I would always come to practice showered and well dressed with my hair done and smelling good so one day I walked in to practice and I said Hi to Chris. He Replied back by saying " whats going on Handsome? so my teammates that were around and heard it just kinda kept it so I went along with it and that's what it is now. ( Sorry Chris I had to give it out) but my nickname is all because of you brother! hahaha

4. How did you get into the sport of MMA? 

Question number 1 answers this question.

5. Can you tell us something about your supporters and why they believe you should
be a Mixed Martial Artist? 

I believe I have the best support group I could possibly ask for. My coaches and teammates at Renzo Gracie and Sityodtong are the best there is out there. I'm not the best guy in the gym but I'm not the worst either. My Teammates push me very hard and never take it easy on me because they know in a real fight no fighter will take it easy on me and just let me win a fight. I just started working with Suckerpunch Athletics and I think its going to be a great relationship. I'm currently working on some new sponsorships and we will see how it goes and where it will take me. I have Krystyne Curtis and Michael Strazzere taking care of everything there is to be taken care for me as a fighter and they have really taken me in as one of their own. Global Warrior Management is a new thing for me and so far I couldn't be any happier with how things are going and how on the ball they are about everything when it comes down to taking care of me.

6. What are your ultimate goals in the sport? 

My ultimate goal is to be a Champion in the UFC one day. i never dream small because i believe in my self and i believe i have what it takes to get there. Anything is possible through Christ and through hard work so if you combine the two you can move mountains if you needed to.

7.  What does your family think of your passion for combat sports?  Do you have
children?  Are they involved in the martial arts?  Do you have a spouse or significant
other?  What role do they play in helping you prepare for combat? 

My family thinks my passion is a bit crazy and sometimes don't understand why the heck doI like to get beat up and beat other people up for a sport, but they understand that I'm a very competitive individual.   I have always been this way since I was a kid so it's one of those things that they don't love it but they also believeI should follow my dreams and do what makes me happy regardless what they think. I'm a Single man and have no kids. I spent the last 8 years of my life going from one relationship to another soI never gave myself time to enjoy being single and focus on myself. I'm not saying I wouldn't give up the single life for the right person, but it would have to be someone who supports my life style and who wants to help me reach my ultimate goal.


8. What do you think about your next opponent?

I have a lot of respect for my next opponent. I have a lot of respect for anyone that has the guts to get inside of a cage and engage in a fist fight. What we do isn't easy and it isn't for everyone. Josh Beauparlant is a game opponent and always takes fights on short notice just like I have taken every single one of my fights so I respect him as fighter and I'm not taking him lightly.


9.  If you had the ability to change anything about the sport what would it be? 

I would try changing the gloves and come up with a way that the finger would be covered but athletes could still grapple because eye pokes has become a real problem and a lot of times and accidental eye poke can end a fight.

10.  How do you see the fight going/being finished? 

I cant really tell you how the fight will go exactly but i can tell you that we have been working really hard for this fight in the gym and im ready for anything Josh could come at me with. Im going for the K/O like i always do but if the submission is there then i will capitalize on it and put an early stop to this fight so i can go celebrate with my Mates.

11.  Can you describe for us what it is like to discipline yourself as you prepare to
make weight and develop or improve skill sets before fight night?  Do you feel like
your team plays a significant role in that discipline? 

It's not everyone that can just discipline them self to lose 20-30lbs for a fight. It takes a lot of dedication and focus in order to do it. My teammates play a big role in it because they are always the ones telling me that its almost over. Soon enough I'll be able to eat and that the fight is around the corner and that all my hard work will pay off. Not eating your favorite foods for long periods of time is horrible and I hate it because honestly on the inside I'm a big fat kid waiting to get out! I absolutely love food like more then anyone I know so not eating the things I like for a few weeks at a time is awful, but I know what I have to do in order to be successful in my weight cut and in my fight.

12.  In your time as a competitor what stands out to you most when a promotion offers
you a bout?  Have you ever turned down a potential match?  If so why?  Could you
offer the up and coming combatants any advice in these situations? 

I have never turned a fight down, I'm a fighter plain and simple andI'm not scared to fight period, and that's why I have always had managers because if someone called and said " Hey Yann can you fly to Vegas and fight Jose Aldo tomorrow? I would say yes knowing that chances are that I could get really hurt. My manager knows what he is doing and wont take fights that doesn't make sense. A fighter needs to be built the right way just like a car engine, if you don't put the parts together right and the mechanic isn't a very good one then you can't put that car to race against a car that has been winning 90% of its races. If the fighter doesn't have all the tools he needs to win a fight against a complete fighter that has a record of 10-0 or 12-2 it wont make sense to put him in a cage when his only 1-0 or even 2-0 unless your 2 wins are against some studs that fight for the UFC or Bellator, but chances are is that at 2-0 you didn't fight anyone at that level unless your a mix of Jose Aldo and Anderson Silva.

13.  For your last fight what measures did you take to ensure a victory?  What was
the training like in the 2 months prior to the fight?  Did you crosstrain?  If so, who
with? 

First off for my last fight I didnt have 2 months to get ready or even 1 month. I had 2 weeks to get ready and a 27lbs cut. I was able to cut 22lbs in the 2 weeks.  I tried as hard as I could but it got to a point that I was ready to pass out on my way to cutting even more if I didnt stop. We worked a lot on my cardio and my ground game for my last fight. Anthony Loycano is a great wrestler and has an awesome body triangle and always goes for for the rear naked choke. We knew going in to this fight that his game plan was going to be taking me down and beating me on the ground because we all know he wasn't going to try striking with me considering the power behind my leg kicks. Our game plan worked out great even though he had a lot more time then I did to get ready for that fight.  I was able to outlast him with my cardio and make him work hard in the earlier rounds and take him out on the later rounds by using my superior cardio, conditioning and strength.

14.  Anyone locally or in the big's that you really would love to fight, and why? 

I don't like to call anybody out, I take it day by day and fight by fight and if ever a certain fight is presented to me against someone i dislike or someone I hav been wanting to fight for a long time then you will be seeing WWIII.

15.  What do you feel is your best weapon in your fights? 

My best weapon is my striking, power and athleticism all together. When you can mix the 3 together it can be complicated for someone to deal with unless they're some unbelievable wrestler that can just hold you down the entire time and out grapple you.

16.  What is your favorite foods that you miss while cutting weight?? 

I miss Brazilian food like crazy! I love going to a Brazilian steak house and eat about $80.00 worth of meat. I'm a sucker for ice cream, if you leave yours unattended around me, chances are is that it will be gone when you decide to eat it. It's a fair warning guys!

17.  What is your most memorable moment to date in MMA?? 

As much as I love GSP my most memorable moment was when Matt Serra after winning the Ultimate Fighter show came back in to the UFC to beat GSP for the tittle. No one thought he could do it, he was a huge underdog but that just goes to show you that no matter how much of an underdog you may be you always have a chance to shock the world if you believe in yourself and work hard.

18.  How else do you spend your time when you are not training?

I enjoy playing soccer, going to the beach, ridding my motorcycle and spending time with my friends or who ever my significant other is.

I wanna give a big shoutout to the best coaches in the world, Coach Tim Barchard, Kevin Landry, Kru Mark Dellagrote and coach John Johnston. Also the best teammates I could possibly ask for, Nick Fiore, LLoyd Fernandes, Quintin Frosty, Kyle Adams whose also one of my coaches, Jared Cuomo, Ian from Renzo Gacie, Ben Guilfoyle, Jamie Courtney, Andre Jeudi, Rob Font, Tateki Matsuda, Lewis Corapi, Dat Tran, Brandon Chagnon, Jimmy Davidson, Rico DiSciullo. Big thank you to all my family members that believe in me and that always gives me positive advises and that always reassure me that I can do this. Thank you Michael Strazzere and Krystyne Curtis for everything and also Suckerpunch Atheletics.



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