“The Rez (Reservation) lifestyle is hard in general,” Mayhi Medrano says, “My mom didn’t want me around that environment. A lot of stereotypes on the Rez like alcoholism, drug abuse and gang lifestyle. Stereotypes, that I BROKE.”
At only 18 years of age, Mayhi Medrano has lived and experienced a lot growing up in the Mohave area. Mayhi is a local, born in Needles, California - a son of Native Americans of the Fort Mojave Indian Tribe. Growing up on the reservation Mayhi’s mother, Sierra, was worried that her son would take on the wrong path. She took extra precaution by keeping Mayhi active in various team sports through his early years. Though a great athlete in all sports through his youth, Mayhi still suffered from bullying like most kids at a young age. Bullied for his smaller stature. Bullied for his speech impediment. Bullied for having long traditional Native American hair. He was teased and called a “girl” by the other kids. Life wasn’t easy at times.
As Mayhi grew older, Sierra did not want him around negative influences, especially at the age of 12 as he transitioned into 6th grade. A close friend of the family mentioned that her son (Shane Mapatis) was enrolled & training Jiu-Jitsu with Rick Lucero. Sierra wasted no time and enrolled young Mayhi in Lucero’s Jiu-Jitsu Academy as a birthday gift.
“The only time I ever felt welcomed and happy, was when I went to the gym to train with Professor Lucero and my friends.” says Mayhi.
The art of Jiu-Jitsu helped Mayhi build confidence in his early teenage years. He slowly let go of all other sports to only focus on training under Professor Lucero. Fast-forward a couple years later and Mayhi has now competed & won various medals, belts, swords in tournaments and is also a purple belt. Mayhi competes in Kickboxing and Jiu-Jitsu tournaments in the states of Arizona and Nevada. But due to age restrictions, Mayhi was not allowed to compete in Mixed-Martial Arts bouts in the past. As of October 2018, Mayhi is now legally (18 years of age) allowed to compete in MMA bouts and will be making his MMA debut tonight at the Avi Resort & Casino for WFC: World Fighting Championships .
After many years of training and competing - his time to shine has arrived.
“I feel like I’ve accomplished something that I never thought I could do. You don’t see kids like me on billboards in their hometown. It’s a GREAT feeling… Getting one step closer to my dreams of becoming a champion.”
Mayhi will be competing tonight, May 11th, in front of his hometown crowd.
His mother, Sierra, will be in attendance watching her son’s first MMA bout.
Mayhi’s girlfriend, who is expecting their first child, will also be in attendance to shower him with love and support.
Professor Rick Lucero will be in his corner guiding Mayhi through yet another battle.
And the Lucero boys will be watching ringside - cheering em’ on as he goes to war.
It’s a big day for 18 year old, Mayhi Medrano.
Team Lucero & Team Medrano invite you all to experience this special moment.
