Tag: Adrian Yanez

Adrian Yanez Rejects Tony Kelley’s “Cancel Culture” Defense

UFC bantamweight prospect Adrian Yanez has slammed Tony Kelley’s response to the criticism surrounding his controversial remarks earlier this month. At UFC Vegas 54, Kelley was present in the corner of his partner Andrea Lee for her women’s flyweight scrap with Viviane Araújo. Following the opening round, “KGB” appeared to suggest that she’d been the…

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UFC bantamweight prospect Adrian Yanez has slammed Tony Kelley’s response to the criticism surrounding his controversial remarks earlier this month.

At UFC Vegas 54, Kelley was present in the corner of his partner Andrea Lee for her women’s flyweight scrap with Viviane Araújo. Following the opening round, “KGB” appeared to suggest that she’d been the recipient of an eye poke from her Brazilian opponent.

In response, Kelley made some distasteful remarks about Araújo and her nation, saying, “That’s what they’re gonna do. They’re dirty f*ckin’ Brazilians.”

After facing criticism from all corners of the MMA community for his words, Kelley defended himself by suggesting that the attempt to hold him accountable proved that “cancel culture is real.”

Like many, Adrian Yanez doesn’t believe that the Louisianan’s response was good enough or appropriate.

Yanez, who is set to share the Octagon with Kelley at UFC Austin next month, spoke about his upcoming opponent’s actions during an interview with Sportskeeda MMA. According to the rising striker, Kelley’s use of “cancel culture” as a defense simply doesn’t hold up.

“Yeah, and you know what? Like, his response was kind of just like, ‘I don’t know.’ I honestly was just like, ‘Bro, all you had to do is just apologize.’ Like that’s all you really had to do,” said Yanez. “You didn’t have to go out there and [be] like, ‘Oh, cancel culture.’ Like, bro, honestly, us fighters, we’re not big enough to be canceled, so it’s like, it’s not really cancel culture.

“It’s just (that) you offended a whole bunch of people from Brazil, and now you’re getting the backlash from it,” added Yanez. “It’s not cancel culture, there’s a lot of people that just didn’t like what you said, responding to you.”

Yanez Sends Kelley Some Apology Advice

Having criticized Kelley’s attitude and decision to defend his remarks, Yanez went on to explain how the 35-year-old should have responded to the backlash, which saw fans, pundits, and fighters, including Brazilian ones, condemn his words.

“His response could have just been, ‘Hey man, in the heat of the moment I just wasn’t even thinking straight, I’m sorry, I’m completely sorry,’” suggested Yanez. “But except he just kind of just put the blame, so (instead) of being like, ‘Hey, you know, I apologize,’ (he) just went, ‘No, f**k you, it’s cancel culture.’

“So to me, he kind of messed up by not even like just admitting he was wrong. And what he said, he could have been like, ‘Man, I meant it towards like, not to call her a dirty Brazilian or anything like that.’ And could have just been like, ‘She’s a dirty fighter,’ or whatever, you know? But he went on (to) talk mess (about) the whole country.”

Given the controversy, it’s safe to say that Yanez will have a whole lot of support behind him come June 18, likely including an entire South American country.

Having received messages of encouragement from the likes of UFC welterweight contender Gilbert Burns, it seems that Yanez will be looking to deliver a knockout finish for more than just himself this time around.

Do you agree with Adrian Yanez’s take on Tony Kelley’s response?

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Adrian Yanez vs. Tony Kelley Set For UFC Austin On June 18

Bantamweight prospect Adrian Yanez is set to enter the Octagon for the first time in 2022 at UFC Austin on June 18, where he’ll collide with Tony Kelley. The pair will throw down inside The Moody Center in what will be the UFC’s first trip to Texas since 2018. News of the matchup was broken…

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Bantamweight prospect Adrian Yanez is set to enter the Octagon for the first time in 2022 at UFC Austin on June 18, where he’ll collide with Tony Kelley.

The pair will throw down inside The Moody Center in what will be the UFC’s first trip to Texas since 2018. News of the matchup was broken by Yanez’s representation, Iridium Sports Agency, with the rising 135lber sharing the post on his personal social media platforms soon after.

Yanez (15-3) has been calling for a fight for a while and has finally had his wish of competing in his home state granted. On June 18, the La Porte native will be looking to continue his fast ascension up the bantamweight ladder by extending his perfect UFC record to 5-0.

So far, Yanez has dispatched Victor Rodriguez, Gustavo Lopez, Randy Costa, and Davey Grant since graduating through Dana White’s Contender Series in 2020. Having been taken to the scorecards in the Octagon for the first time last November, the 28-year-old will be hoping to return to his knockout ways when he enters the cage for the first time this year.

Given the talk of a potential fight with #13-ranked Sean O’Malley, whose now being lined up to face top-10 bantamweight Pedro Munhoz in July, it stands to reason that another victory for Yanez will land him a big-name opponent and perhaps even a number next to his name soon enough.

But looking to put an end to Yanez’s hype will be Kelley (8-2), a Louisianan who has fought under the UFC banner on three occasions. Most recently, the 35-year-old moved his promotional record to 2-1 with a TKO finish over one of Yanez’s former opponents, Costa, after which he called out Yanez for a fight in Texas.

Fans may recall Kelley hitting the headlines last time out after opting for a 20-hour drive to Las Vegas over wearing a mask on a plane. He’ll be making a slightly shorter trip to Austin this time around.

The current fights expected to take place on the UFC Austin card are as follows:

Calvin Kattar vs. Josh Emmett (featherweight main event)

Donald Cerrone vs. Joe Lauzon (lightweight)

Tim Means vs. Kevin Holland (welterweight)

Damir Ismagulov vs. Guram Kutateladze (lightweight)

Roman Dolidze vs. Kyle Daukaus (middleweight)

Adrian Yanez vs. Tony Kelley (bantamweight)

Joaquin Buckley vs. Albert Duraev (middleweight)

Eddie Wineland vs. Cody Stamann (bantamweight)

Court McGee vs. Jeremiah Wells (welterweight)

Maria Oliveira vs. Gloria de Paul (women’s strawweight)

Julian Marquez vs. Gregory Rodrigues (middleweight)

Phil Hawes vs. Deron Winn (middleweight)

Jasmine Jasudavicius vs. Natalie Silva (women’s flyweight)

Who do you think will have their hand raised at UFC Austin, Adrian Yanez or Tony Kelley?

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Adrian Yanez’s Twitter Hacked, Fans Scammed By Fake Giveaway

UFC fighter Adrian Yanez suffered a Twitter hacking earlier this week, resulting in many fans getting financially scammed in a fake giveaway. It all started when a post from Yanez’s accounts allegedly posted a giveaway of a PlayStation 5 gaming console and a glove. This prompted many fans to message the account and provide the…

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UFC fighter Adrian Yanez suffered a Twitter hacking earlier this week, resulting in many fans getting financially scammed in a fake giveaway.

It all started when a post from Yanez’s accounts allegedly posted a giveaway of a PlayStation 5 gaming console and a glove. This prompted many fans to message the account and provide the Yanez imposter with banking information to enter the giveaway.

After fans would provide their banking information, the imposter would block them from accessing and contacting Yanez’s account.

One Twitter user going by Rudy Sanchez called out the scam on social media, prompting many fans to question the validity of the giveaway and Yanez’s recent posts.

“Please don’t fall for the PS5 and glove!” Sanchez said. “This is a scam, people are really out here getting [scammed] left and right. Adrian Yanez got hacked on [Twitter] and Instagram.”

Shortly after many fans complained about getting scammed, Yanez spoke out on his Twitter after getting his account back.

“My Twitter was hacked yesterday,” Yanez said. “I didn’t get access til just a moment ago. If you’ve gotten scammed, please reach out to your bank immediately and dispute the transaction.”

All of the giveaway posts from Yanez’s Twitter and Instagram accounts have been deleted and Yanez has recovered both pages.

Yanez has a 15-3 professional MMA record and has impressed many UFC fans since his time on Dana White’s Contender Series. After successfully earning a UFC contract, he would go on to win four fights in a row over the likes of Davey Grant and Randy Costa.

Yanez is arguably one of the most intriguing UFC bantamweight prospects entering 2022 and has been linked to a potential fight with Sean O’Malley. This goes back to when O’Malley called him out on social media last November.

Coincidentally, UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling was hacked as well this week, but it’s unclear if it was by the same culprit.

“I’m sorry for anyone that was DM’d from me,” Sterling said. “I was hacked like a JV superstar. I got played and didn’t realize the fake email, being half asleep after training. I hope no one bought anything from that scammer! Let my tweets continue to attack [Petr].”

Yanez and Sterling aren’t the only ones to have their social media accounts hacked. UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman was infamously hacked back in 2020, with the account sending various threats.

Has your social media ever been hacked?

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Yanez Calls For “Repercussions” For Judge Who Scored Fight For Grant

After questionable judging saw what appeared to be a comfortable victory over Davey Grant go down as a split decision, Adrian Yanez has called for repercussions for “terrible” scorecards.

Yanez has been rising up the bantamweight ladder rapidly and…

Adrian Yanez, UFC Vegas 43: Yanez vs. Grant

After questionable judging saw what appeared to be a comfortable victory over Davey Grant go down as a split decision, Adrian Yanez has called for repercussions for “terrible” scorecards.

Yanez has been rising up the bantamweight ladder rapidly and establishing his name as one of the most entertaining strikers in the division. Since breaking onto the scene with a memorable TKO win on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2020, Yanez has entered the Octagon four times, recorded four wins, three by way of knockouts, and earned four $50,000 bonuses.

In his latest outing, Yanez boarded further passengers to his high-speed hype train by adding the well-established name of England’s Grant to his résumé. Against the tough Darlington native, who has never been finished on the feet, Yanez was taken to the scorecards for the first time in the UFC, where he took home a split-decision win.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CXRMzonJkOn/

Yanez Frustrated By Split Decision “Asterisk”

Thanks to an impressive volume and damaging strikes, most had the 28-year-old clear on their cards. Per MMA Decisions, three media members scored the contest 30-27 Yanez, while the other nine had it 29-28 the same way. It was a similar lean in the fan scoring, with over 65% favoring the younger bantamweight.

Given the fact only 11% boasted 30-27 Grant scorecards, a result that is hard to take seriously, it’s miraculous that judge Tony Weeks fell on the side of Yanez’s opponent in every round. The scorecard was widely criticized at the time, and Yanez has now slammed Weeks for his interpretation of the contest.

During an interview with Sherdog, the surging 135-pound prospect described Weeks’ card as “terrible,” and questioned how he’d come to the conclusion Grant had taken all three frames.

“Ah, man, he (Tony Weeks) must have been texting, he must have been off in la-la land or whatever… Going back, I was trying to be super biased and re-watching the fight, but I still don’t see how all three rounds he gave to Davey Grant. I don’t see how he did that. I don’t know. And the fact that he’s a boxing judge as well, that made me really question a lot of things. I thought that was a terrible card.”

Despite ultimately walking away with another win on his record and one step closer to the rankings, Yanez admitted the scorecard has left a bad taste in his mouth and an “asterisk” on the result. In his mind, there should be consequences for judges who deliver clearly wrong scorecards.

“The fact that I still got the win is good, but also, it’s still kind of a little asterisk on that win because it’s a split decision, so it’s like, I don’t like that at all. It doesn’t sit well with me. I wish there’s something else that could happen, and be like, ‘Hey, there’s a penalty for that. That was a terrible scorecard.’ I think, 100%, there should be repercussions on that. I don’t like that scorecard at all.”

Bad scorecards aren’t uncommon in the promotion and have almost become part and parcel of the sport. Yanez, like virtually every fan and pundit, believes that needs to change.

Do you agree with Adrian Yanez? Should judges be held to account for their scorecards?

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Adrian Yanez Pitches A UFC Boxing Tournament

Rising bantamweight Adrian Yanez is keen to prove he belongs in ‘the best boxer in the UFC’ discussion and has pitched a tournament to prove just that.

Yanez has been rapidly rising up the 135-pound division and proving himself to be one of the hot…

Adrian Yanez, Davey Grant & Adrian Yanez

Rising bantamweight Adrian Yanez is keen to prove he belongs in ‘the best boxer in the UFC’ discussion and has pitched a tournament to prove just that.

Yanez has been rapidly rising up the 135-pound division and proving himself to be one of the hottest prospects in the promotion. After building a three-fight winning streak with triumphs under the Fury FC and LFA banners, the Texan established his name with a memorable contract-winning performance on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2020.

In the year that followed, Yanez made an immediate impact with Performance of the Night-worthy knockouts of Victor Rodriguez, Gustavo Lopez, and Randy Costa. Continuing his bonus streak last weekend, the 27-year-old faced his toughest test to date in the form of the always-tough and durable Davey Grant.

Despite being unable to maintain his 100% UFC finish rate, Yanez emerged victorious on the judges’ scorecards and added an established name to his résumé.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CWhDrtcohgF/

Yanez Names 7 Bantamweights He’d Love To Box

Following his fourth UFC victory, Adrian Yanez made an appearance on Ariel Helwani’s The MMA Hour. After discussing his ongoing success in the UFC and his latest triumph n the Octagon, Yanez was asked whether he believes his boxing should be spoken about more.

In recent weeks, many have debated which UFC stars boast the most talent with the hands, and some have listed the top-five pugilists in the promotion. The likes of Alexander Volkanovski, Conor McGregor, and Max Holloway have staked their claim for the title. But Yanez believes he deserves to be towards the top of the rankings and admitted it frustrates him when his boxing ability isn’t considered among the best in the UFC.

“Oh absolutely, absolutely (I should be in ‘the best boxer in the UFC’ discussion). It needs to be said. Every time I see someone, see those forums put up or they make lists or anything like that, I’m just always annoyed ‘cos I’m like, ‘I know I’m one of the best, I know I’m one of the best.’ I should be up there for sure. It’s not even just… a lot of people just look at the offensive stuff and I’m just like, ‘Bro, you gotta look at the defensive side as well.’ You’ve gotta look at the defensive side, the footwork; there’s a lot of things to look at.”

Yanez went on to pitch the idea of a tournament in the UFC. After naming a host of bantamweights he’d love to trade boxing-glove leather with, the 27-year-old pleaded with Dana White to let them duke it out in an elimination format.

“I know UFC has Zuffa boxing, so man, Dana White, let’s put on some boxing gloves with a lot of these guys in the 135-pound division and let’s duke it out. I think that would actually be fun. Like a little bit of a fun thing that you can do with UFC fighters who haven’t took like, an MMA fight in a while, be like, ‘Man, throw on some boxing gloves for Zuffa boxing,’ and just have them duke it out. I have a couple of matchups that I would like to see, for myself.

“There’s a lot of guys, man. Of course, the champ Petr Yan, the interim champ, the interim champ, Petr Yan. I’d like to strap on the eights with him. It’d be fun, I would love it. Also, Cody Garbrandt, he has some great boxing as well… Rob Font, José Aldo, of course, Sean O’Malley; I think he has some great striking.

“Who else… Oh yeah, Julio Arce. I know he just lost to Song Yadong but he has some really great boxing, and also Song Yadong as well. They have some really great hands. I think just throw us in a tournament and we all go out there and duke it out with the boxing gloves on. I think that’d be fun.”

Would you like to see a UFC boxing tournament featuring the likes of Adrian Yanez, Petr Yan, and Sean O’Malley?

Continue Reading Adrian Yanez Pitches A UFC Boxing Tournament at MMA News.

Adrian Yanez Responds To Sean O’Malley’s Callout With Some Criticism

Rising UFC bantamweight prospect Adrian Yanez is open to a fight with Sean O’Malley but isn’t a fan of his alleged lack of competition.

Yanez earned another big win over Davey Grant at UFC Vegas 43 and also earned Fight of the Night honors. He blit…

Adrian Yanez

Rising UFC bantamweight prospect Adrian Yanez is open to a fight with Sean O’Malley but isn’t a fan of his alleged lack of competition.

Yanez earned another big win over Davey Grant at UFC Vegas 43 and also earned Fight of the Night honors. He blitzed Grant with his signature boxing to earn the split decision win, although many felt Yanez won the fight with relative ease.

This attracted the attention of O’Malley, who is another bantamweight prospect that fans are excited about. O’Malley hinted at a possible fight in March against Yanez.

During his UFC Vegas 43 post-fight press conference, Yanez welcomed an opportunity to fight O’Malley but isn’t a fan of the level of opponents he’s faced.

“I would fight Sean O’Malley,” Yanez said. “He says he wants to try to get a ranked opponent and all that stuff but yeah, he’s dodging all these other ranked opponents. Let’s dive into that one right quick. So, Sean O’Malley says, ‘Okay, let me go out there and let me fight a top-ranked opponent.’ but then he gets Thomas Almeida, who is on the shelf for a couple of years.”

“But also, I’d be down to fight him. I don’t care.”

Adrian Yanez, Sean O’Malley Are Promising UFC Prospects

Yanez entered UFC Vegas 43 with a seven-fight winning streak and remains undefeated in his young UFC career. He got a shot in the UFC after an impressive knockout against Brady Huang on Dana White’s Contender Series.

O’Malley is already scheduled to face Raulian Paiva at the upcoming UFC 269 pay-per-view. He’s coming off of his dominant win over Kris Moutinho at UFC 264.

A fight between Yanez and O’Malley would feature arguably two of the top strikers in the 135-pound division, and would surely entice the UFC fanbase. If O’Malley can get past Paiva, a fight with Yanez next could make sense.

What do you think about a potential Adrian Yanez vs. Sean O’Malley fight?

Continue Reading Adrian Yanez Responds To Sean O’Malley’s Callout With Some Criticism at MMA News.