Adrian Yanez’s split decision win tonight at UFC Fight Night 198 was hard-earned as Davey Grant threw everything but the kitchen sink at him.
Round One:
Spinning kick from Grant immediately that whistles past the ducking Yanez’s head. Leg kick for Grant. He tries another kick and Yanez catches it and knocks him off-balance to the mat for a moment.
The two fighters exchange leg kicks. Grant goes for another and Yanez counters with a jab. Jumping front kick attempt from Grant. Punch lands from Yanez.
Low kick from Grant and Yanez stumbles to the mat for a split second. Body-head combo for Yanez. Grant with the wilder techniques here as he attempts another spinning kick, but Yanez is landing crisp punches in response.
Body kick from Grant. Looping punches from Grant miss and Yanez lands a counter. Again Grant knocks Yanez off-balance with a low kick.
Jumping kick to the body from Grant. He lunges into a punch. Yanez with a thunderous one-two that sends Grant reeling backwards. He resets and Yanez lands an overhand too with power.
Grant not deterred though and he lands a solid right hand. He has a little blood to his nose though. Kicks from Grant.
Body kick for Grant. Head kick attempt. Yanez ducks a punch. Double spinning backfist attempt from Grant, but Yanez slides out of range.
Round Two:
Front kick to the body for Grant. There’s an exchange of punches. Another hard low kick to the inside from Grant. He lands it again.
Jab for Yanez. Grant steps into a couple of punches and then back to the low kick. Yanez with a nice overhand right counter.
Body punch and a kick to the midsection too from Grant. Yanez feeling out with the jab, but Grant lands his own punch.
Yanez with a leg kick now. Yanez ducks a punch and looks to land on the counter. He lands a right hand. Grant with a body kick. Grant apologizing for an eyepoke. The ref Herb Dean initially allows them to continue, but then changes his mind and there’s a brief pause for him to recover.
Front kick to the body from Yanez. Grant attempts a takedown attempt. Yanez does well to stuff it against the cage and gets back to the center of the Octagon.
Yanez kicks to the leg and lands a punch to the body. Brief exchange in close. Grant misses on an uppercut. Head kick attempt from Yanez.
Spinning backfist lands for Grant. Yanez with a right hand. Grant with a couple of punches of his own. Now he lands an outside low kick. Nice right hand for Grant.
Straight right from Yanez and Grant lands too. Jumping front kick to the body for Grant. Grant with a jumping knee lands to the head and he connects follow-up punches too. Good chin from Yanez to withstand that.
One-two for Yanez. Grant’s face is becoming increasingly bloodied from the cut to the bridge of his nose. He lands a heavy punch.
Round Three:
Jab for Grant. Front kick to the body from him. Leg kick for Yanez. He lands another. Jabs from Yanez. Body kick from Grant is almost caught.
Low kicks exchanged. Jab from Yanez. Grant fires back, but then Yanez connects on a hard counter. Knee from Grant. Grant with a hook and now punches down the pipe.
Hard one-two for Yanez. Spinning body kick for Grant. Yanez lands clean in an exchange. Kick from Grant. Yanez with a nice uppercut. Reaching right hand for Grant though.
Yanez with a front kick to the body. Now a one-two. He lands a couple of hooks too. Front kick to the body from Grant and then a left hand.
Jab from Yanez. Now to the body. Missed head kick from Grant. Winging punch from Grant comes off the shoulder.
Yanez works the jab while circling his opponent. He lands a leg kick and then triples up on the jab. Grant covers up as Yanez stays busy with the jab, but then looks to fire back, always putting everything into his techniques.
Jab for Yanez and Grant lands a few solid punches in return. Yanez ducks a puunch effortlessly. Jab from Grant. Yanez is working his jab more frequently though.
Grant throws his weight behind a big kick. Final few seconds and Grant unleashes one last combo to try and sway the judges in his favor.
Decision:
Fun fight then, with Yanez being more clinical and refined, but Grant offering up plenty of wild, but hard-hitting offense of his own.
One judge sees the fight as a clean-sweep for Grant, while the other two see it in Yanez’s favor, giving him the split decision win (27-30, 29-28 x2).
