UFC’s Adrian Yanez feels ‘do-or-die state of affairs’

Adrian Yanez is aware of his again his towards the wall heading into UFC Combat Night time 241.

Yanez (16-5 MMA, 5-2 UFC) welcomes Vinicius Salvador to bantamweight on Might 18 on the UFC Apex. Each fighters will look to snap two-fight dropping skids, and Salvador can be in the hunt for his first octagon win.

The 30-year-old, who was as soon as thought of one of the vital extremely touted prospects within the UFC, admits he was shocked to attract former flyweight Salvador (14-6 MMA, 0-2 UFC) and is aware of he’s in a must-win state of affairs.

“I’m in a do-or-die state of affairs in my head proper now, so I simply don’t need to have to fret about something,” Yanez advised Bloody Elbow.

Yanez’s losses got here by stoppage to ranked contenders Rob Font and Jonathan Martinez. The Martinez loss was a harder tablet to swallow.

“That second one (Martinez), the primary kick landed, and increase, f*cked my complete leg up instantly,” Yanez stated. “I simply felt a complete shock in my leg. I felt heat liquid. It felt like my leg was bleeding for a second. … That second one was so much tougher to recover from as a result of I had much more time to sit down again and soak in it as a result of I needed to go do surgical procedure after that combat. It additionally gave me a change of perspective on numerous issues. In my 2023, I received manner too snug.

“I used to be snug within the place I used to be at. I had a rating subsequent to my identify, and I used to be snug. I used to be like, ‘Ah man, I’m preventing the perfect. I’m right here, I’m so shut.’ I let my foot off the fuel. I began letting others management what I used to be doing in camp, and I didn’t actually have full management. For that Font combat, I used to be within the biggest form I’ve ever been in. The Martinez combat I believed I used to be mentally good there, however strolling out to the cage there was nonetheless remnants of that loss beforehand. After I was strolling out, it was nonetheless taking part in behind my head a bit.”

Yanez just lately frolicked coaching with red-hot featherweight Diego Lopes (24-6 MMA, 3-1 UFC), who’s coming off a first-round TKO of Sodiq Yusuff at UFC 300.

“It received me excited,” Yanez stated on coaching with Lopes. “Like, man, everytime you’re round like-minded folks like them that need to get higher and all the time need to practice, that put a hearth beneath my ass, it reignited my love for the sport.”