UFC Vegas 22: Adrian Yanez vs Gustavo Lopez Preview and Prediction

Adrian Yanez

Adrian Yanez emerged onto the UFC scene in spectacular fashion back on Halloween of last year as he secured a performance bonus worthy head kick knockout victory over Victor Rodriguez in his UFC debut. Yanez earned his spot in the UFC on Dana White’s Contender Series when he demolished Brad Huyang in less than 40 seconds. He has previously fought in Bellator and LFA where he has secured victories in both organizations. Fighting out of Team Metro Fight Club he is on a five-fight winning streak heading into his bout at UFC Vegas 22 with four of those victories coming by way of TKO/KO.

Gustavo Lopez

Gustavo Lopez was introduced into the UFC in a short notice bout against #12 ranked bantamweight Merab Dvalishvili, where he stood up on less than 20 hours notice and took the Georgian to a hard-fought decision which he lost unanimously. Lopez would then receive his first fight with a full camp and successfully defeat his friend and teammate Anthony Birchak who stood up on short notice to fight and lose to Lopez via first-round rear-naked choke submission. Lopez showcasing in that fight his true ability, proving he truly is ready for the UFC.

He has won 11 of his 12 victories inside the distance, with six coming by way of submission as his preferred method of victory. With nine of his 17 professional fights failing to make it outside the first round.

Fight Breakdown

This is an all-around exciting fight, whatever happens, we should see these two meet in the center of the octagon and trading punches for a period of the fight, if not the whole fifteen minutes. They are both heavy hitters for the bantamweight division, therefore this may be more of a contest of who can hit and not get hit which leaves Adrian Yanez the favorite due to his boxing-like style.

The speed and accuracy of Yanez combined with his head movement make him a very difficult opponent to face. We have not seen as much of his ground game, which leaves him vulnerable to many questions as to how he would cope should Lopez obtain the takedown.

Lopez will look to take down Yanez whenever he can as he will feel he will have the advantage and put the 27-year-old where he least wants to be. If he does get Yanez down, expect him to look for that submission victory or tire out the fellow bantamweight as much as possible to take away the traits that make him the exciting prospect he is.

While Yanez may look to finish this early as he has done in his last two bouts, his speed and accuracy are no joke and we will see Lopez’ durability seriously tested against the DWCS alumni at UFC Vegas 22.

One thing is for sure with the track record of both of these fighters, expect action. If this fight doesn’t end early with either fighter obtaining a finish then expect a Fight of the Night contender as the pair battle it out to the final horn.

Prediction

If you look at the records of both of these promising bantamweights, you would see that the judges’ scorecards are rarely needed. Although both are very technical and capable of ending this fight in their preferred methods. This fight may well turn out to be a battle of who wants it more and whose toughness will prevail.

Gustavo Lopez’ toughness may see Adrian Yanez finding it hard to put him away, and should Yanez keep the fight standing then he should be able to comfortably beat his opponent in the striking exchanges to cruise to a decision victory. That’s if Lopez doesn’t suffer the same fate as Yanez’s last two opponents.

Prediction: Adrian Yanez via decision Adrian Yanez

Who do you see winning this exciting bantamweight bout, Adrian Yanez or Gustavo Lopez? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

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