Adrian Yanez went back to his original game plan at UFC 329. |
📷: Getty/UFC

Adrian
Yanez says his coach was instrumental at both keeping him out
of danger and finding the finish in his return to winning ways in
the
Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Yanez took on Cody
Garbrandt in a bantamweight matchup at
UFC 329 in Las Vegas. After trading punches in the early
moments, Yanez knocked out the former bantamweight champion with a
crisp combo less than three minutes into the first round.

While Yanez was previously doing his training camps between
different gyms, he has settled at Fortis
MMA in Dallas since last year. He credits his head coach,
Sayif
Saud, for his win over Garbrandt.

Adrian Yanez reveals the advice from Sayif Saud that changed
the Cody Garbrandt fight

When Garbrandt initially came out all guns blazing, Yanez
instinctively wanted to stand and trade with him. However, he then
heard Saud's distinct voice guiding him back to his game plan. He
reveals that he also went for the finishing sequence on Saud's
instruction.

“Honestly, for me, it's the coaching… Since I started working with
coach Sayif, hearing his voice, it's so distinct, you can hear it
through any crowd,†Yanez said in a post-fight interview. “So as
soon I heard, ‘Move, get out of there, don't. Stop.' I was like,
‘Yes, you're right, coach. I'm being an idiot right now.'… He hit
me with that first flurry and I was like, ‘I'm gonna bite down and
fight.' Then I was like, ‘Wait, this is exactly what he wants.'
Right as I skidded out, coach Sayif told me to get back on the
plan. And as soon as coach Sayif called for it, I went for it, I
landed it, and I got the knockout.â€

Yanez (18-6) returned after a 15-month layoff this past March, when
he fought Ricky Simon
to a majority draw. The win over Garbrandt (15-8) marked Yanez's
first win in two years. Meanwhile, “No Love†has now dropped three
of his last four outings.

Farid Basharat said he was compromised going into UFC 329. | 📷:
Getty/UFC

Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight Farid
Basharat never considered pulling out of
UFC 329 despite suffering an injury just weeks ahead of his
bout.

Basharat was originally scheduled to fight Ethyn Ewing
at UFC 329 on Saturday in Las Vegas. However, Ewing pulled out due
to an undisclosed injury and was replaced by promotional debutant
John
Garza on six days' notice.

Farid Basharat discloses two leg injuries he suffered while
training for UFC 329

While Basharat was as high as a -700 favorite on some sportsbooks,
Garza gave the Afghan-born Brit a run for his money. Basharat
eventually won by a closely-contested unanimous decision. He
subsequently revealed that he tore his MCL just three weeks ahead
of UFC 329.

However, “Ferocious,†who is admittedly sometimes too tough for his
own good, never considered pulling out of the fight.

“Three weeks before the fight, I tore my meniscus and my MCL,â€
Basharat said in a post-bout interview. “In the last three weeks,
if you go back to some of the fight week footage, I've either got a
knee brace on, I'm limping, or I'm warming up extensively.
Sometimes I need to be protected from my own toughness. I didn't
think for a second to pull out.â€

As for Ewing pulling out due to an injury, Basharat (16-0) wants to
give him the benefit of the doubt. The undefeated 135-pounder now
has seven UFC wins to his name. Meanwhile, 23-year-old Garza (6-2)
showed that he belongs even with little notice.

Ryan
Gandra made quick work of Zachary Reese at UFC 329. | 📷:
Getty/UFC

Ryan
Gandra's preparation for his second outing in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship made his 6'3†opponent seem
“small.â€

Gandra (10-1) took on Zachary
Reese in a middleweight bout at
UFC 329 in Las Vegas. The Brazilian took a little over a minute
to drop Reese with a massive left hand. He landed a few follow-up
shots before referee Mike Beltran stepped in, albeit the stoppage
was arguably slightly early amidst protests from Reese.

Ryan Gandra credits film study and preparation after UFC 329
victory

Gandra says he had prepared so hard that his nearly flawless
victory felt automatic. “Problema†also claims to have studied
Reese so well that the 6'3†American felt small despite being
taller than him by two inches.

“It felt automatic. We did so much work. We studied him. We got
ready for this fight as if it was only thing to worry about in the
world,†Gandra said in a post-fight interview. “I felt him small. I
know he is a huge guy, but I felt him small. Why? Because it felt
automatic. Because I knew him so well and I was ready for it. I
know that he is a big guy, but he felt smaller. That's the fruit of
a lot of work, a lot of study, and a job well done.â€

Gandra has finished 8 of his 10 career wins and ended both of his
UFC fights inside the first round, with a combined Octagon time of
less than two minutes. Meanwhile, Reese is now on a two-fight slump
and is 4-4 in the UFC since making his promotional debut in
2023.