Adrian Yanez is expecting a fan-friendly fight against Ricky Simon at UFC Seattle.
Yanez hasn’t fought since December of 2024, as his fight last November against Christian Quinonenz was canceled after his opponent withdrew. Although he was hoping to return much sooner, the UFC offered this bout on short notice, which Yanez was eager about.
“This came across my table the day Moreno and Kavanagh fought, that weekend,” Yanez said on Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN.com. “Talked with the coaches, so went forward. Shorter notice than I would like. I’m out here in Dallas, my family is back home, so I had nothing to do but train, so I had been training this entire time anyway before I got the offer.”
As Yanez was waiting for a fight offer, he admits he wasn’t sure who he would get. The fan-favorite knows he could really get anyone, but he is pumped to get a chance to face Simon.
“Getting Ricky is like getting a ranked fighter,” Yanez added. “He’s been in the top-10, he’s fought guys like Urijah Faber, Merab, he’s fought elite guys. This is something that gets you out of bed to work. I got Ricky Simon in front of me, who’s a dangerous motherf****r. You have two dangerous motherf****rs ready to go in there and throw hands. … He’s losing to some of the best guys in the division. It’s not an easy fight. For me, he’s out there having wars with high-level guys, so it’s exciting.”
Adrian Yanez expecting a ‘war’ against Ricky Simon
As Adrian Yanez noted, he knows Ricky Simon is a tough opponent and will be a tough out. He knows Simon is as durable as they come, so he’s expecting their UFC Seattle bout to go the distance.
“I think he’s going to wrestle, I think he’s going to shoot,” Yanez said. “If he strikes with me, I think it will be a stupid decision. … Honestly, I see us going all three rounds, because I know he’s going to shoot and I will be trying to put his lights out. But I do think I can edge out these rounds. I know Ricky is super hard to put away. For me, in my head, I’m going for a three-round war.”
If Yanez gets his hand raised, the goal is to be as active as possible and hopefully get a ranked opponent next.
“Man, honestly, hopefully it puts me close to the top-15. I don’t know where I stand right now, if I’m in the middle, the back or close to the rankings,” Yanez concluded.
Do you think Adrian Yanez will beat Ricky Simon at UFC Seattle?