Adrian Yanez knew he had a chance to send a statement to the bantamweight division at UFC 329.

Yanez was fighting former champion Cody Garbrandt on a massive card, as he knew there were plenty of eyeballs on him, given he was fighting on a Conor McGregor card. Although Yanez entered the bout as the huge favorite, he knew Garbrandt posed a lot of problems, and admitted he was surprised by how fast Garbrandt was.

“It wasn't even the power. I knew he hit hard; it was more about how fast he closed the distance,†Yanez said on BJPENN.com. “It was more shocking how fast he was. I remember Coach Sayif saying he's going to be faster than you think, and that is what happened. It was like ‘Oh damn.' It wasn't getting hurt; it was how fast he came in and making sure I stayed tight defensively. The only one that hurt was he hit me with a left hook, and then the knee he threw hit me dead square in the forehead, but if it had hit the chin, it might have been a different story.â€

Although Garbrandt was faster than Yanez thought, he didn't get thrown off his game plan. Instead, Yanez focused on finding the range, and once he did, he knew it was a matter of time until he got a stoppage win.

“The way that got set up was all the film study,†Yanez said. “I knew the right hand was going to be there; I just had to put myself in danger or chase it. I knew I could put him away, but I wasn't going to force anything or chase it; I just wanted to be faster than him. To be honest, I wasn't looking for power shots early on;

Adrian Yanez ‘pleased' with UFC 329 win over Cody Garbrandt

“I just wanted to find my range, but after the initial right-hand that hurt him, I realized I could get him out. Then, I hit that second right hand, and every time he's gotten hurt, he's shooting or hit the clinch, and as soon as he went for the clinch, I went over the top, and it worked out. I probably did 20 hours of film study for this fight. I was overly prepared.â€

Although Adrian Yanez had confidence he would win at UFC 329, he was thrilled he got a first-round win. He also believes knocking a former champion out is badass for him.

“I'm very pleased, very happy with it,†Yanez said. “The biggest thing for me was being able to get a win; I hadn't won in two years. Not having a win and not being able to be as active as I have wanted, I couldn't be happier now. This win does a lot for me. And Cody is someone I looked up to at times. Just being able to get a stoppage win over him, that is pretty f*****g badass.â€

With the win, Yanez believes he can get back into contention and potentially get a ranked opponent in the near future.

“I think I need one more fight before I get a ranked guy. … I'm still in shape, so I hope I can get back in there soon. If I can get a fight in September or early October, if there is an opening in December, I'd take it. I want to be active,†Yanez concluded.

Who would you like to see Adrian Yanez fight next?