The MMA Daily

An entertaining scrap takes place in the Bantamweight division, as Adrian Yanez takes on Tony “Primetime” Kelley. A rising star, Yanez comes into this fight on an eight-fight win streak. Having won four of those inside the octagon, three of which have been via stoppage, Yanez comes into this fight eyeing the division’s top fifteen with a victory. Meanwhile, Kelley comes into this fight with some momentum. A winner of two straight, including a recent upset stoppage victory over Randy Costa, Kelley finds himself in a spot where a victory could elevate him into a big fight next.

This is a potential “Fight of the Night” contender, as both men are strikers. Yanez, is an active and technical striker who has legitimate power. With good takedown defense, an iron chin and good cardio, Yanez is someone who can keep the fight in his wheelhouse and keep a hard pace for fifteen minutes. The only knock on Yanez may be as a result of his last two fights, where he was seemingly hit way too often. The same could be said about Kelley too, as he is getting hit on 55% of the significant strikes opponents throw at him. Despite that, Kelley has proven to be a well rounded fighter. Diverse on the feet, with odd angled attacks, Kelley can be a tricky to read. With good grappling abilities, when taken down, Kelley isn’t one to just accept the position.

As for a prediction, I’m going to side with Yanez. While this fight could go either way depending on how tricky of an attack Kelley brings, Yanez just seems too crisp on the feet to not get off his offense. Landing 6.35 strikes per minute, if Yanez can avoid being dragged into a brawl, I believe he can turn in a calculated victory. With some power in hands too, there is a chance that he can score a knockout. However, given Kelley has never been stopped, I’m not counting on it. So with all that said, I predict that Yanez will win via decision.