After three straight knockout victories begin his UFC tenure, Adrian Yanez is one of the bantamweight division’s highest-profile prospects. At the UFC Vegas 43 media day, Yanez explained the way that his Octagon success has impacted his daily life.
“Just the fact that I don’t have to go to a regular day job is enough for me,” Yanez said with a smile. “The extra 50k always sits nice in the bank,” he said, referencing his three “Performance of the Night” bonuses.
Yanez is scheduled to fight against England’s Davey Grant, who saw a three-fight winning streak end in a decision loss to Marlon Vera in June.
Adrian Yanez has a lot of respect for opponent Davey Grant
“I think he’s a really great fighter,” Yanez said of Grant. “He’s tough, he’s durable, he’s just one of those guys that’s not going to stop going forward. He doesn’t care if you hit him, how many times you hit him. He doesn’t really care. To me, I am in love with this matchup.”
Yanez broke down Grant’s game, noting that he’ll need to stick to his game plan to avoid the same fate as past Grant opponents Martin Day and Jonathan Martinez. Both of whom suffered knockout defeats to “Dangerous.”
“Stylistically, I just know that he comes in very loopy and I’m more of the straight down, technical type of fighter. I have to stay that guy. I can’t get out of character, I have to be in character the whole entire time,” he said. … “You’ve seen what happens to people who get out of character whenever they fight him. They start trying to go blow for blow with him and they get put on their ass.”
Yanez also weighed in on his status among the UFC’s best boxers. “I feel like I am the best boxer in my division… and I’m gonna prove that Saturday night,” concluded Yanez.
Yanez is dedicating this fight to his late coach, Saul Soliz, as well.
Grant sees Yanez fight a ‘brilliant’ piece of UFC booking
Grant is all about wild, fun fights. He hopes to leave that as his legacy in the sport, referencing his recent loss to ‘Chito’ Vera in June.
“I love to be in fights like that,” said Grant. “I’m getting on in my career now, and I just want to be remembered as the guy who comes to fight and has really exciting fights. I feel like I’m one of those fighters where I’m bored if I haven’t chucked a punch in two seconds. I think that makes for good viewing. How I want to be remembered, how I want to fight every fight — obviously, I want to win, but getting in those sorts of wars and getting the bonus afterward … it sort of softens the blow.”
Regarding Yanez, Grant is eager to face a young talent with a penchant for exciting fights.
“Straight away, I just thought, ‘Brilliant.’ Great work by the matchmakers. Sean Shelby’s done well there. I think this makes to be an exciting fight. He’s got a lot of hype behind him. He’s doing really well. I was on a good run. … I think a win over Yanez puts me right back up there to start challenging for those Top 15 spots,” he said.
And, Grant notes, Yanez deserves the hype.
“I think he deserves it. Obviously, he’s coming off three knockouts or four with the Contender Series, as well. Credit where it’s due. He comes to fight, he’s got really good striking abilities, and it just makes for a brilliant, exciting fight. As far as the hype goes, I think he’s earned it,” he said.
As for what fans should expect? Grant only has one game plan. “My mindset is: always expect a war. I always expect a war, and anything less is just a bonus.”
UFC Vegas 43 takes place on Nov. 20 from inside the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nev. and is headlined by a clash of ranked women’s bantamweights when former champion Miesha Tate faces Ketlen Vieira in a five-round matchup. The event kicks off at 3 pm ET, and air exclusively on ESPN+.
–Field Level Media
