Adrian Yanez is off to a great start in his UFC career, but he isn’t looking to rush things.
Yanez (16-3 MMA, 5-0 UFC) extended his overall winning streak to nine when he dispatched of Tony Kelley in one round earlier this month at UFC on ESPN 37 and has notched a bonus in all five of his octagon wins. He had a brief stint in the UFC’s top 15 bantamweight rankings, but Yanez isn’t looking to get fast-tracked. He acknowledges his early success but wants to make sure that once he reaches the top, he stays there.
“I feel like there’s another level to be reached, and I want to reach that level because I want to make sure whenever I get that spot, I take that, and I run with it, and I just keep running until the wheels fall off,” Yanez told MMA Junkie Radio. “I want to make sure that I’m ready, and I don’t want to jump too far ahead – jump in the deep end whenever I’m barely learning how to swim. So I’m good, but at the same time, there’s a lot of learning I need to do.”
Yanez’s slick boxing has resulted in an array of finishes but despite the confidence in his hands, the 28-year-old is still critical of himself.
“I’m already the best with boxing,” Yanez said. “Best hands in the division, I’m one-for-one on that. Now just start to make less mistakes because I still am making rookie mistakes. Even with that fight with Tony Kelley, I’m making a rookie mistake, and I look at it, and I’m just like man, I gotta work on this sh*t. … I’m striving for perfection. I know I’m never gonna reach it, but I’m always striving for perfection.”
He continued, “I want to make sure I get so many title defenses and all that stuff, make sure I set myself up, my family up and everything else up. When I get there, I’m telling you, I’m gonna get there, and I’m gonna step on the scene, and I want to break records.”