Adrian Yanez is a full-time fighter for the first time
Even with back-to-back knockout victories on Dana White’s Contender Series and in his UFC Debut, Adrian Yanez is yet to go through a full training camp as a professional.
Yanez earned his 12-3 record while balancing training and working for a water company in Texas. The 26-year-old was responsible for shutting off the water of customers who failed to pay their water bills.
Not a fan of being “that jerk” who turned the water off, the bantamweight is more keen on being a fan favorite inside the octagon with his flashy knockouts. He left his job for the water company just a week before he knocked out Victor Rodriguez via first-round head kick at UFC on ESPN+ 39 this past Saturday, Oct. 31.
“I improved pretty quickly throughout the time I was working, now, I’m just thinking that time two on my end, being able to train full time,” Yanez said.
“It just speaks volumes to how dedicated I was. I never stopped, it was early mornings, late nights a lot of the times. I come back, I’d be exhausted, now that I have the adequate time to come back to rest, train possibly three times a day, four times a day and actually get the right recovery I need, I’m really looking forward to it.”
Adrian Yanez is a richer man
Despite quitting his job to become a full time fighter, Yanez is a richer man. His highlight-reel knockout from this past Saturday earned him a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus. He made double the amount of money on Saturday than he did in a year with the water company.
Yanez is choosing to be conservative with his money. He would love to buy a new truck, but is opting to invest his money long term.
The Texas native has fought professionally for six years, but is not interested in fighting way past his prime. It’s one of the main reasons he is opting to save the money he made from his UFC debut.
“I want to be able to invest in it , so after I don’t become that fighter that fights way too long,” Yanez said. “I want to build something and then after that, be able to retire and have a good, healthy life.”
Just the beginning
Yanez made his first UFC appearance on the same night one of his idols, Anderson Silva supposedly retired at 45 years old. Yanez recalls daydreaming of being a part of UFC events, mostly imagining being on the undercard of a main event featuring Silva.
On Saturday, Yanez did just that, even meeting Silva during fight week.
For the first time in his career, Yanez is a full-time fighter, much like his idol, Silva. It’s a major step in his career, opening up more opportunities in a stacked bantamweight division.
Yanez is off to a fast start inside the octagon and it’s only the beginning.
“I can just think back whenever I was first starting this, I thought all of this was a pipe dream,” Yanez said. “I’m still freaking out about it.”
Adrian Yanez spoke to MyMMANews about winning $50,000 and training full time. See the full interview in the video above.
