Adrian Yanez credits coach for UFC 329 knockout of Garbrandt

Adrian Yanez says his coach stopped him from making a critical mistake seconds before his knockout of Cody Garbrandt at UFC 329.

Yanez dropped the former bantamweight champion with a combination less than three minutes into their bout in Las Vegas, snapping a two-year winless streak. Per Sherdog, Yanez initially wanted to stand and trade when Garbrandt came forward throwing heat, but head coach Sayif Saud's voice cut through the crowd and redirected him to the original game plan.

How Sayif Saud's instructions changed the fight

"Honestly, for me, it's the coaching," Yanez said after the fight. "Since I started working with coach Sayif, hearing his voice, it's so distinct, you can hear it through any crowd. So as soon I heard, 'Move, get out of there, don't. Stop.' I was like, 'Yes, you're right, coach. I'm being an idiot right now.'"

Yanez said Garbrandt connected with an early flurry that made him want to bite down and brawl, but he recognized mid-exchange that he was giving his opponent exactly what he wanted. Saud called for the finishing sequence moments later, and Yanez landed it clean. The win improved Yanez to 18-6 and marked his first victory since 2024, coming off a majority draw with Ricky Simon in March.

Yanez has trained full-time at Fortis MMA in Dallas since last year after previously splitting camps between multiple gyms. Garbrandt fell to 15-8 with the loss, his third defeat in four outings. Yanez is scheduled to weigh in for his next bout at the UFC Performance Institute on August 2.

Reported via:

• Sherdog — ‘I was being an idiot’: Adrian Yanez says coach saved him before UFC 329 KO