Harness: Worlds collide as Tetrick battles UFC champion Oliveira at Yonkers

As Tim Tetrick prepares for Tuesday's match race against UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira at Yonkers Raceway, a particular thought has crossed his mind.

"I just hope he doesn't want to fight me if I beat him," Tetrick said with a laugh.

Fortunately for Tetrick, Tuesday's encounter with Oliveira will be contested on the half-mile oval at Yonkers, not in the Octagon. Tetrick, who on July 4 was inducted into the Harness Racing Hall of Fame, and Oliveira will square off following the third race. Post time for the match race, presented by Blue Chip Farms, is 7:55 p.m. (EDT).

"I'm looking forward to it," said Tetrick, who at age 39 already ranks third all-time in driver purses with $232 million and seventh in wins with nearly 12,300. "He's a huge fan of horseracing. I think it's going to be a lot of fun."

Oliveira, a 31-year-old from Sao Paulo, Brazil, is actively involved in harness racing at home when not training for UFC competition. He was introduced to the sport by a friend and was hooked immediately.

"In the beginning, I had regular horses," Oliveira told the U.S. Trotting Association's Wendy Ross through an interpreter in an online interview last month. "A friend of mine brought me to the racetrack, and I saw the first time I went to the races, this is my passion, for sure.

"Horses are my passion. When I get the opportunity, when I have time between training, I try to go race my horses."

In a UFC-produced video detailing his love of harness racing, Oliveira said the horses help him maintain a positive outlook.

"When you ride (behind) a horse, when you brush them, give them a bath, it makes me feel peaceful," Oliveira said. "If things aren't going great at home, if I've lost a fight or something, any problem at all, I come here and ride the horses and I feel reinvigorated.

"When you grab the lines, you feel you and the horse are the same. It's a hundred percent connection."

Oliveira said he would like to buy a horse in the U.S. to bring to Brazil. He follows harness racing in the States as well as Argentina and is credited with raising the profile of the sport in Brazil.

"Charles has really helped us make it grow," Eduardo Magrini, the owner of Stud Fenomeno in Brazil, said in the UFC video. "He helps advertise it, he participates, he trains. He's a perfect fit for our team."

Oliveira told Ross that driving a horse in the U.S. is his "big desire."

"I'm trying to go to Argentina to drive some races over there," Oliveira said. "But if I have the opportunity to drive a horse in the U.S. ... oh, boy!"

The opportunity arrives Tuesday. Oliveira is expected to drive Ron Burke-trained Provacativeprince N while Tetrick will sit behind Scott DiDomenico-trained Sumthinboutim. Oliveira will have his own colors to wear for the event.

Tetrick said the match race came together through a group effort that included his wife Ashley, Ross, and others.

"I know a gentleman who reached out to him, and he said absolutely, I'd love to do that," Tetrick said. "His buddy told me he's more excited about this than some of the fights. He's pretty excited.

"He's a world champion, and I consider myself a world champion of horseracing. It's going to be two great athlete minds going at each other. It's going to be exciting."

Tune into the U.S. Trotting Association's Facebook page for live pre- and post-race coverage. The race replay will be posted on the USTA's YouTube page.

To watch Wendy Ross' interview with Oliveira, click here.