Athletes
Yadier Del Valle | Damage Control
Cuban featherweight faces a retiring veteran as he bids to bounce back from his first career loss.
After suffering the first defeat of his professional career in his last fight, Cuba’s Yadier Del Valle returns to action at UFC Fight Night: Gamrot vs Salkilld this weekend keen to bounce back with an improved performance. Del Valle arrived in the UFC as an undefeated featherweight prospect after impressing UFC President and CEO Dana White on the Contender Series, and he kicked off his UFC career with back-to-back first-round finishes as he submitted Connor Matthews and Isaac Dulgarian, both via rear-naked choke.
But last time out, against the tricky Jordan Leavitt, Del Valle couldn’t find the path to the finish as he lost a unanimous decision to “The Monkey King” at UFC Houston in February.
Watch This & Every UFC Event On Paramount+
“Basically, I learned that there were some mistakes that I made in the last fight, and we had to address those mistakes and those errors, [and] keep growing in this training camp for this particular fight,” he said. “Sometimes these losses are good for your career, to help you get motivation.”
Cuba has a rich history of success in combat sports, including in the UFC, where the likes of Hector Lombard and Yoel Romero have enjoyed success on the sport’s biggest stage. Del Valle represents the new generation of Cuban combat athletes, and he explained just what gives them the drive to succeed in the realm of sporting combat.
MORE UFC FIGHT NIGHT: Fighters On The Rise | Fight By Fight Preview
“Cuban fighters in general have a history of being excellent, and I think a lot of it is basically who they are inside,” he explained. “They're warriors, they're soldiers, they're fighters. That's how they're born, and it's kind of nourished throughout their lives.
“They start boxing at a young age, or doing other martial arts, so it's something that they're obviously born with. So it's something innate, but also something developed over the years.”
Del Valle’s in-built fighting pride is enhanced by the knowledge that he’s fighting for more than just himself, as he explained.
“I do everything for my family. It doesn’t really add any more pressure, but it's going to definitely make me always fight harder, work harder,” he said. “They're the reason I get up and do everything that I do every single day. So for the future of my children, my wife, my family, that just makes me [push harder].”
UFC 330: Buy Tickets | VIP Experiences | View Fight Card
Saturday night will see Del Valle return to the Octagon for his fourth UFC contest, and it’s a bout of some significance as his opponent, Darren “The Damage” Elkins, revealed ahead of fight week that the bout would be his last before he calls it a career.
Elkins’ fighting style has become his calling card over the course of his UFC career, and his willingness to push himself further than his opponents in the quest for victory will pose a stern test of Del Valle’s own determination on fight night. But, as he told us, he’s prepared accordingly, and is confident that when the Octagon door closes, he’ll be the one controlling the fight.
It was a complete training camp. It was long, it was hard, but it was good,” he said. “Knowing that we were fighting Darren Elkins, it gave me even more motivation. He's such an OG, such a vet. You know? A, very crafty, experienced guy. It made me work harder.
“I know that Darren brings striking [and] he brings grappling. He's strong everywhere. He's good everywhere. He's experienced, but I’m gonna dictate the rhythm of the fight, the pace of the fight… It's gonna be my fight. I’m not so much worried about what Darren's gonna do. With all respect to Darren, I’m worried about me, you know? I’m gonna do me, and on Saturday night, you’ll see the best version of me.”
And on Saturday night, “The Cuban Problem” plans on reintroducing himself to the UFC fanbase with a complete performance to bounce back to winning ways and set about the job of climbing the talent-stacked featherweight division.
“When that cage door closes, we're gonna take the center of that cage,” he promised. “I'm gonna hold the center of that cage. I'm going to dictate the pace of the fight – striking, grappling, whatever. You're not going to see me back up. I'm going to go forward.”
UFC Fight Night: Gamrot vs Salkilld took place live from Meta APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada on August 8, 2026. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
Tags