Adrian Yanez made a major statement at UFC 329, stopping Cody Garbrandt by first-round TKO on the prelims at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
The victory is described as the most high-profile win of Yanez’s career and comes after more than two years without a victory, a stretch that included a loss, a canceled fight and a draw.
"This is a better version of me, and honestly, we're expecting more. I'm just getting started," Yanez said after the fight.
Yanez explained that the performance has reignited his confidence and mindset. "I feel like I'm 21 years old again and just learning so much and expanding my mind, moving around. MMA IQ, to me, has been amazing. I’m always not just physically training, but also mentally training. There's going to be a better version of me next time I step in here."
Looking ahead, Yanez kept his message to the rest of the division simple: "The division should be scared."
He also hinted that there is more to his game than he has shown so far. "I’ve got secret weapons that nobody knows about. We're just scratching the surface level of my all-around game. I haven't shown everything, and I'm going to keep a lot of that a secret. I'm telling you right now, there's a lot more to come. I'm getting better every single day, whether it's 1 percent, whether it's 5 percent, we're on the path to growing and building."
Yanez’s MMA record is listed as 18-6-1, including 7-3-1 in the UFC, while Garbrandt’s record stands at 15-8 in MMA and 10-8 in the UFC.
