Adrian Yañez

Garbrandt started quickly, but Yañez changed the exchange with counter right hands. Punches from both hands dropped Garbrandt and ended the bout at 2:47 of round one.

Key moments

• Garbrandt started the fight quickly.
• Yañez changed the exchange with counter right hands.
• Punches from both hands dropped Garbrandt and forced the stoppage at 2:47.

A controversial majority draw: Yañez's crisper boxing controlled much of the fight and he scored a knockdown in the final seconds, but Simon's takedowns and round-two power swung two cards even. Yañez said he felt robbed.

Key moments

• Yañez sharper on the feet in rounds one and three.
• Simon's takedowns and power in round two.
• A late Yañez knockdown.
• Majority-draw verdict widely disputed.

Marcos rocked Yañez early and the bout was briefly paused after a simultaneous eye-poke and groin strike, before a split verdict went Marcos's way.

Key moments

• An early Marcos punch hurt Yañez.
• A mid-fight pause for simultaneous fouls.
• Back-and-forth exchanges throughout.
• A split decision against Yañez.

A bounce-back finish after two straight losses: a counter right hook dropped Salvador and Yañez swarmed with ground strikes for the first-round stoppage.

Key moments

• A clean counter right hook landed.
• Salvador dropped.
• A ground-and-pound flurry.
• Referee waved it off in round one.

Martinez's accumulating leg kicks broke down Yañez's base for a second-round stoppage — Yañez's second straight knockout loss.

Key moments

• A sustained calf- and leg-kick attack.
• Yañez's mobility degraded.
• The lead leg buckled.
• TKO via leg kicks in round two.

Yañez's first UFC loss: Font's volume boxing and jab caught him and a combination finished it in the first round.

Key moments

• Font's pressure and jab set the tone.
• A combination dropped Yañez.
• First-round TKO.
• Yañez's first defeat in the UFC.

A heated grudge match that Yañez settled emphatically on the feet. After Kelley taunted him early, Yañez landed a right hook that badly hurt Kelley, then poured on follow-up punches until the stoppage came at 3:49 of round one. Kelley was released by the UFC shortly after.

Key moments

• Kelley tapped his chin mockingly after an early Yañez left hand.
• Yañez caught a Kelley kick and countered with a damaging right hook.
• A sustained right-hand barrage wobbled and dropped Kelley.
• Fifth straight UFC win for Yañez, his fourth finish bonus in the Octagon.

A bloody, all-action bantamweight battle. Costa did more damage early but Yañez absorbed the punishment and kept pressing; in the second round he landed a clean uppercut that sat Costa down, then finished with ground punches before the stoppage. Another Performance of the Night bonus.

Key moments

• Costa landed sharp shots and drew blood in the first round.
• Yañez absorbed early punishment and maintained forward pressure.
• A clean uppercut dropped Costa in round two.
• Third Performance of the Night bonus in three UFC fights.

Yañez took time to find his range but once he did Lopez had no answer. After controlling the striking for the middle rounds, a perfect right hand in round three ended the fight at the 0:27 mark — earning another Performance of the Night bonus.

Key moments

• Yañez gradually established his boxing range over the first two rounds.
• Lopez declined to use his wrestling, allowing a pure striking match.
• A precise right hand ended the fight just 27 seconds into round three.
• Performance of the Night bonus — his second straight UFC finish award.

A stunning UFC debut. Yañez hurt Rodriguez along the fence with punches, then landed the head kick he had been drilling with his training partner all week, stopping the fight at 2:46 of the first round and earning a Performance of the Night bonus.

Key moments

• UFC debut on the preliminary card of UFC Fight Night 181.
• Had told his training partner he would win by head kick — and delivered.
• Hurt Rodriguez on the fence before landing the finishing kick.
• Performance of the Night bonus on his Octagon debut.

One of the fastest stoppages in Contender Series history. Yañez dropped Huang with a left hook and then a right hand over the top; referee Jason Herzog waved it off as Huang stumbled into the fence at 39 seconds.

Key moments

• Fifth-fastest knockout in Contender Series history at the time.
• Left hook to the jaw, followed immediately by a right hand over the top.
• Stoppage came at just 39 seconds of round one.

The main event of an LFA card headlined by Yañez in Belton, Texas. He ground out a back-and-forth three-rounder to win by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28), taking the headliner nod despite pre-fight predictions he would finish Estrada inside the distance.

Key moments

• Headlined LFA 78, his name above the title of the event.
• Won despite pre-fight statements that he expected a finish.
• Split decision: one judge had Estrada ahead, two gave it to Yañez.

First fight back after the LFA title loss to Miles Johns. Yañez rebounded with a second-round TKO stoppage in Humble, Texas, showing no lasting effects from the five-round grind two months earlier.

Key moments

• Bounce-back bout after the LFA bantamweight title loss.
• Stopped Stewart with punches at 1:46 of round two.
• Returned to finishing form in his home-state regional circuit.
• Held at the Humble Civic Center in Humble, Texas.

A late first-round knockout in Houston in front of his home crowd. Trepagnier charged forward with time running out in round one and Yañez met him with a counter right hand that ended the fight cold at 4:56, earning wide attention after the highlight was shared nationally.

Key moments

• Won in front of his hometown Houston crowd.
• Trepagnier charged forward near the end of round one — Yañez countered with a right hand.
• No follow-up strike needed; Yañez immediately knew the fight was over.

Yañez dropped the close three-rounder by the narrowest of margins, but the fight showed both men were operating at a high regional level.

Key moments

• Split decision — extremely close fight across three rounds.
• Pilarte went on to compete in the UFC, validating the quality of the matchup.
• Only Yañez's second pro loss at the time.

A competitive three-rounder on the Legacy FC circuit. Wright dropped Yañez with a punch early and held pressure, but Yañez clawed back with sharp boxing through rounds two and three; when Wright took him down in round three and tried to finish, Yañez spun and locked an armbar to force the tap at 2:44.

Key moments

• Wright dropped Yañez with a punch in round one and maintained pressure.
• Yañez recovered and hurt Wright with right hands in round two.
• Wright's round-three takedown backfired — Yañez spun and caught an armbar.

Yañez's Bellator debut on a card headlined by Ken Shamrock vs. Royce Gracie at the Toyota Center in Houston. He won a unanimous 29-28 decision across three rounds, with both fighters making their Bellator debuts in what was described as an exciting bantamweight contest.

Key moments

• Bellator debut at Bellator 149 in Houston's Toyota Center.
• Both Yañez and Hollis were making their Bellator debuts.
• Appeared on the undercard of the iconic Shamrock vs. Gracie III main event.

An early finish in the second round on the Texas regional circuit.

Key moments

• Stopped just 10 seconds into round two.
• Held at the Humble Civic Center in Humble, Texas.
• Second TKO finish in a row, showing consistent early finishing ability.

Yañez's second professional fight and first loss. Fighting on the Legacy FC regional circuit just eight months after his debut, he was outworked over three rounds by Mowles, who effectively neutralised his striking game. The loss was an early lesson in the step up from regional debut to established regional competition.

Key moments

• Second pro fight, held just eight months after his debut.
• Lost a unanimous decision across three rounds.
• Mowles used wrestling and pressure to negate Yañez's striking.

Adrian Yañez's professional MMA debut at age 20, held at the Doyle Convention Center in Texas City, Texas.

Key moments

• Professional MMA debut at age 20.
• Held at the Doyle Convention Center in Texas City, Texas.
• Finished Delfin with punches at just 28 seconds into round three.