Athletes
Adrian Yanez | Reloaded
After Nearly A Year Away, Bantamweight Standout Excited To Return To Action
The first two years of Adrian Yanez’ UFC career went about as well as you could possibly hope for as a new face on the biggest stage in the sport. Highly regarded coming off Dana White’s Contender Series, he debuted 2-and-a-half months after earning his contract and collected a highlight reel finish and Performance of the Night bonus. From there, he was off to the races.
Four more victories followed, three by stoppage and one by decision, all of them earning a Performance Bonus end of the night, which had the Houston, Texas, native stationed at the forefront of the next wave of talent rising the bantamweight division.
Just when it seemed like Yanez was on the fast track to contention, everything started to go sideways as he suffered three losses in his last four fights, and the ascending talent struggled to get things straightened out.
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“I never thought something like this would be a nice reset button, and it hit that button hard,” Yanez said with a chuckle, reflecting on nearly a year on the sidelines as he readies to make his return to action against Cristian Quinonez at the UFC APEX. “I was spinning in circle for a second, trying to get my tires on the road and it was nuts for a second.
UFC Vegas 12: Adrian Yanez finds the KO in his Octagon debut
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UFC Vegas 12: Adrian Yanez finds the KO in his Octagon debut
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“Everything happens for a reason, and thankfully for me, I have a lot of great support around me, and that helped out a lot,” added Yanez, who landed on the wrong side of a split decision verdict to Daniel Marcos last time out. “It was crazy for your boy for a little bit — I was getting 10-8’ed by life for these last couple years.”
Though he can laugh about it now, the last year has been particularly challenging for the soon-to-be 32-year-old fighter.
As much as the losses sting, everyone knows they come with the territory, so navigating those frustrations is something most fighters grow accustomed to over the course of their careers. It never gets easier, mind you, but everyone learns how to move forward from a setback at some point, especially when another fight can come right around the corner.
But after losing last December, Yanez wasn’t able to book his next fight for some time as an undisclosed medical issue kept him out of competition. It didn’t keep him out of the gym or from helping teammates and training partners get ready to make the walk, but when it came time for him to get the green light to step back into the fray, he kept encountering reds, leading to a great deal of frustration building within the usually easy-going and lighthearted Dr. Pepper fan.
“It was real difficult because it started making my timeline longer and dragging out, and on top of that, I felt like I was good to go, and that brought a lot of frustration,” said Yanez, who suffered the injury in question in the first quarter of the year. “Sitting back and watching my training partner fight two times and I hadn’t even fought once, it’s like, ‘What’s going on here?’
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“I was training, coaching a lot of fighters, watching them fight and it’s like, ‘I helped them get here. I’m the guy that was wrestling with them, I’m the guy that was sparring with them,” he added, shaking his head with a smile on his face. “I was still training, still doing jiu jitsu, sparring, everything. I felt fine. I don’t know why it took so long for me to get medically cleared.”
After stewing in that frustration, the proud father of two opted to shift his point of view on his situation and started working to make sure he was as prepared as possible for when he finally got cleared and booked his next fight. The early “doom and gloom” he navigated gave way to seeing an opportunity, and following a little more time training with a few different people, Yanez settled in to working with coach Sayif Saud and the team at Fortis MMA in Dallas.
For Yanez, it was the first time things felt like they did prior to the passing of his long-time coach Saul Soliz, who died suddenly in 2021. Having known each other since his days on the regional circuit and being just a 4-hour drive away, connecting with “The General” was easy and has given Yanez some of the consistency he’s been searching for these last couple years.
“I did bounce around a little bit,” began Yanez, who understandably struggled to find the right fit in the wake of Coach Soliz’ passing. “I was in Mexico with Diego (Lopes), and I love Pancho (Francisco Grasso) — love him, he’s phenomenal — and I haven’t run into anybody I don’t like, but for me, (working with Coach Sayif) is Dallas, it’s Texas, so it’s at worst a 4-hour drive for me. Being able to drive up here and drive home is pretty cool. I didn’t want to be traveling a month-and-a-half, being away (that long). The intensity was different, and it made me feel like back in the day with Coach Saul, that missing piece.
“No shade towards my past coaches or anybody in those rooms, but we were able to click, and we clicked very quickly, very well.”
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In the past, Yanez has been someone that was constantly pushing, but he did so out of anxiety.
He questioned whether he was doing enough, told himself that he needed to get another round in, another session in, more reps in, and struggled to find a calm port in the storm. As Fight Week approached, he’d be buzzing with anxious anticipation, still stuck in his head, questioning his readiness as he prepared to make the walk into battle.
This time, however, it’s been different and prompted Yanez to lean into his veteran status a little bit more, even if he’s still trying to fight it off to a certain degree.
“Right now, I would be a little more (antic), but I’m chill. I’m good. I know I’m ready,” he said. “I had a breakthrough where I was (going through a workout) and thought, ‘This session was a little different,’ and I looked at all the data, and I was like, ‘I’m in shape! I’m good! That felt easy,’ but looking at the data, it was a hard day. Everything feels like it’s falling into place.
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“This fight camp hasn’t felt like any other fight camp that I’ve had. I feel like I’ve worked a lot less, but made the work count, and I feel great about it. Back in the day it would just be grind, grind, grind, grind, grind. Now I’m having to tell my training partners back in Houston, ‘In your head, you feel like you’ve gotta go, but go home, chill out; you’re okay. Calm it down.’ I’m really starting to feel that, and I have to set the example for the guys too.”
He laughed, clearly at ease as he heads towards his bout with Quinonez, even if he’s not fully on board with turning 32 at the end of the month.
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Adrian Yanez Finishes Costa | UFC FIGHT NIGHT: SANDHAGEN VS DILLASHAW
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After being, as he put it, “10-8’ed by life” lately, the prospect of stepping back into the Octagon, stepping back out under the lights, and standing in with Quinonez on Saturday brings a different kind of smile to Yanez’s face and fills his voice with a different kind of excitement.
“There is something about putting on fresh, new UFC gloves, something different about taking that first step into the Octagon,” he said. “There is nothing like it… What it feels like every time I walk into the cage is that, everything that was on my shoulders, it falls off right there, and then you’re there, chillin’, ready to throw hands, and that’s my favorite part.
“As soon as you get in that cage, everything is silent, and it feels amazing.”
And if the night ends with him standing triumphant in the center of the Octagon, this nearly year-long ordeal finally in the rearview mirror?
“I feel like in that moment, I will just be grateful,” he said, adopting a more reserved and appreciative tone. “I’m really excited. I can’t wait. It’s gonna be a feel-good moment for me.”
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