Adrian Yanez on potential Sean O’Malley clash: “I stop him, I love this fight for myself”

As the buzz from Adrian Yanez‘s decisive thrashing of Tony Kelley at UFC Austin last weekend kept pulsing, MMA fans starting pining for Yanez to get a fight with another one of bantamweight’s hotshots.

A match with Sean O’Malley, whose laser-guiding striking accuracy parallels to Yanez’s, could produce a firefight for the future of the division. In an interview with The AllStar, Adrian Yanez discussed a potential fight with Sean O’Malley and how he sees the fight panning out.

Yanez weighed in on the likelihood of the fight happening, saying, “We’re both getting to that contender spot, and you know, it’s not a bad fight, it’s definitely not a bad fight, but is it a fight that makes sense for him at the moment? I don’t think so because he’s fighting Pedro Munhoz. Granted, if he wins, it definitely doesn’t make sense. If he loses, then it’s like, alright now the wheels are turning for this fight to actually happen.”

While Yanez admitted to the inevitability of the fight, he also conceded that he and Sean’s performances in their next fights could either draw their paths closer or further apart. An impressive finish from the Texan and a lackluster showing from O’Malley could make the fight a reality.

As far as how Yanez sees the fight unfolding, his praise for O’Malley’s striking game couldn’t have been higher: “It’s the range and the feints- you know, he does both very, very well. That’s what sets everything else up and that’s why he’s able to get creative like he does…Every little movement is a setup…everything he’s doing, he’s doing off of certain reasons, all off of certain reads.”

Of the entertainment value of the fight, Yanez said, “I feel like put the forward pressure so I can see what they’re gonna do, and then I counter off of that. You know, so it’d be a fun fight, honestly, it’d be like a thinking man’s fight…We’re all working in different ranges, we’d end up brawling at some point too.”

Despite the greater clout and ranking behind O’Malley, Yanez believed one characteristic separates him and O’Malley: durability. Commentating on the result of having a good night against O’Malley, Yanez said, “I think if I put everything together, I shut him down. Especially if I’m not having an off night, I’m on my game a hundred percent- I stop him. …I love this fight for myself.”

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Fighter profile

Adrian Yanez is a 28-year-old male fighter from the United States with 15 pro wins and 3 losses. Yanez is scheduled to fight Tony Kelley at UFC Fight Night: Kattar vs. Emmett on Saturday June 18, 2022.

Adrian Yanez’s recent form coming into this matchup

Adrian Yanez has gone 5-0 in the last 5 professional MMA fights.

• Win vs Davey Grant • Decision R3 5:00 • 2021-11-20
• Win vs Randy Costa • KO/TKO R2 2:11 • 2021-07-24
• Win vs Gustavo Lopez • KO/TKO R3 0:27 • 2021-03-20
• Win vs Victor Rodriguez • KO/TKO R1 2:46 • 2020-10-31
• Win vs Brady Huang • KO/TKO R1 0:39 • 2020-08-11

Adrian Yanez’s next opponent: Tony “PrimeTime” Kelley

Tony “PrimeTime” Kelley’s recent form coming into this matchup

Tony “PrimeTime” Kelley is a 35-year-old male fighter from the United States with 8 pro wins and 2 losses. Kelley is scheduled to fight Adrian Yanez at UFC Fight Night: Kattar vs. Emmett on Saturday, June 18, 2022.

Tony Kelley has gone 3-2 in the last 5 professional MMA fights.

• Win vs Randy Costa • KO/TKO R2 4:15 • 2021-12-11
• Win vs Ali AlQaisi • Decision R3 5:00 • 2020-10-10
• Loss vs Kai Kamaka III • Decision R3 5:00 • 2020-08-15
• Win vs Andy Brossett • Submission R1 2:33 • 2019-05-17
• Loss vs Kevin Aguilar • Decision R5 5:00 • 2016-07-01

How to watch and bet on Adrian Yanez vs Tony Kelley

Keep track of all the latest odds and line-movements at our bout page for this matchup.