Holloway, Medeiros get warm reception at the airport

After 18 hours of flying that began in Rio de Janeiro, UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway and welterweight Yancy Medeiros received a warm welcome at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport this afternoon.

Roughly 300 people, including the entire University of Hawaii football team and head coach Nick Rolovich, roared as Holloway and Medeiros emerged from a van to greet the crowd that gathered to celebrate Saturday’s UFC 212 victories by both fighters.

Holloway unified the 145-pound championship with a third-round TKO of Jose Aldo, while Medeiros put on an impressive showing of his own, defeating Brazilian Erick Silva by TKO in the second round.

“Man, it feels great,” said Holloway, who was covered in lei around his neck and a gold UFC title belt around his right shoulder. “Being from Waianae, a place where too many people don’t want to venture, all the drugs, all the crime, and me and my boy Yancy get to bring something good back just proves that, not only from Waianae, not only from Hawaii, anywhere, you can be anybody in this world. Just because your circumstances ain’t the ones that are right for certain people, it doesn’t make you. You got a dream, go after it and don’t let nobody tell you you can’t do it.”

Holloway said he plans to sit down in July with the UFC to figure out his next fight. The UFC sent a film crew to follow Holloway upon his return home and is mulling an event in Hawaii for the first time.

Holloway’s primary goal for now is simple.

“Don’t get fat,” he joked.