LAS VEGAS – Adrian Yanez beat Gustavo Lopez with a third-round knockout Saturday on the main card at UFC on ESPN 21 in Las Vegas.
Take a look inside the fight with Yanez, who won for the sixth straight time.
Yanez on the fight’s key moment
“I’m feeling really great. I’ve been drilling, sparring, grappling and rolling for a long time. To see this pay off has been really good. Everything went like how it was supposed to for this fight. I was able to back him up the way I wanted to. He opened up the shot for me and I just took it. I told my coach that if I saw the shot, I’m blasting it.
“I really didn’t want to overexpose myself. I didn’t go gung-ho at the beginning of the fight. I was being cool, calm and collected. It paid off for me. I wasn’t really thinking about the stoppage, but I knew I was going to get it. All of fight week I knew it was going to happen. I just had to pick my shots and be consistent. That’s been the biggest thing about this training camp: consistency. The work showed in the octagon tonight.”
Yanez on climbing the charts
“I feel like I’m at the top of the division, but I’m the new kid on the block. Gustavo Lopez is a tough fighter. I respected his power. That’s why it took me a minute. Merab (Dvashili) didn’t finish him and he’s in the top 15, but I got the finish. What does that say about me? That says big things about me. I still have to work. I still have a lot to prove to myself. My work’s not done yet. I have a long way to go.”
Yanez on what he wants next
“I want to be at the top of the division. I want to keep fighting and stay active. I really do want that May card. I do want three or four more fights this year. I want finishes. My biggest thing is I want the performance bonuses, not the fight of the night.”
To hear more from Yanez, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.