While the MMA community eagerly awaits the stacked pay-per-view event in Abu Dhabi, this Saturday's UFC Fight Night card promises to showcase some notable names.
Among the fighters set to step into the cage at Las Vegas' Apex facility on October 14 is bantamweight prospect Adrian Yañez. Yañez, who gained recognition with a flawless 5-0 record on MMA's biggest stage, had his ascent halted in his last fight against Rob Font at UFC 287 in Miami this past April.
Despite a promising start, Yañez ultimately fell to the #7-ranked contender, who secured victory via TKO after a short-lived but intense exchange of blows.
Looking ahead to his upcoming battle against Jonathan Martinez this Saturday, Yañez reflected on his previous bout with Font and the lessons he learned from the experience.
During an appearance at UFC Fight Night: Yusuff vs. Barboza media day, Yañez opened up about his defeat and shared his perspective on facing his toughest opponent to date.
In Yañez's eyes, he lost sight of who he was facing in the Octagon - an unstoppable force, a "cockroach."
"Man, I got away from myself. I wasn't doing the right things. I was doing the right things in that first minute, but again, it's only one minute of the fight," Yañez admitted. "As soon as I had him rocked, I instantly tried to go for the kill.
"Leading up to the fight, I was like, 'I know who I have in front of me. This guy's a f*cking cockroach. He doesn't die. He just won't f*cking die.' I said that with the most respect. No disrespect to Rob at all. That's a compliment. Not a lot of guys can do that," Yañez continued. "But yeah, I forgot who I had in front of me."
Yañez acknowledged that his striking became sloppy as he tried to match Font blow for blow, leading to his downfall. For his next fight, he aims to correct those mistakes and return to his signature slick and clean striking style.
Yañez hopes to recapture the form that allowed him to defeat fighters like Randy Costa and Tony Kelley with his exceptional striking skills.
