One of the most anticipated quick card fights for the UFC Fight Night: Covington vs. Buckley bout on the 15th of December at the Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida, USA has to be the Daniel Marcos vs Adrian Yanez bout! The main reason is the impressive undefeated record of Daniel Marcos.
Adrian Yanez despite coming to this fight as the underdog has nothing to envy about the Peruvian. Yanez is arguably one of the most dangerous fighters in the Bantamweight division and has a professional CV to show for it. Without wasting more time, let’s dive right into the profiles of both contenders.
Daniel Marcos AKA “Sancora” – The Undefeated King
The name Daniel itself is quite symbolic! Religious scholars have it that a certain Daniel in religious texts got thrown into a lion’s den with fierce and hungry lions yet he came out unhurt and unbothered! Well, not exactly the same thing here, but the story of Daniel Marcos in the UFC is as impressive.
The Peruvian boast of a clean professional MMA record of 16-0 (1) and is slowly but surely paving his way into a legend in the sport.
As of now, “Sancora” is 31 years 9 months, weighs 61.3 kg, with a height of 170 cm and a reach of 175 cm. The track record of Daniel Marcos speaks volumes about his continuous resilience and quest for excellence. To put this in perspective, he successfully defended his 300 Sparta Bantamweight 6 times.
Sancora’s win over John Castañeda on June 4th this year was a showcase of his ability to control the tempo and rhythm and dictate the tempo of fights. Although it was a well-fought 3-round battle, Daniel Marcos had the upper hand, especially in the 3rd round when fatigue was having the best part of both professionals.
In the 1st round of that fight, Marcos landed more significant strikes than his opponent and could have concluded the fight if not for the ability of John to properly defend.In the second round, Marcos continued right from where he left off, landing more significant strikes and kicks that forced Castañeda into a defensive position.
Then came the third round whereby Castañeda tried to bring to fight to the ground (a logical decision) in an attempt to win by submission, but Marcos wasn’t having it and kept the fight standing where he had the advantage. The result was a win by Unanimous decision.Initially, the scheduled fight was not Daniel Marcos vs Adrian Yanez, but rather Marcos vs Nurmagomedov (18-3-0). However, Nurmagomedov withdrew from the fight for reasons still unknown. Knowing this, let’s see how Adrian Yanez compares.
Adrian Yanez – The Challenger
Yanez has a professional record of 17-5-0 and hails from Texas USA. He has a slightly better reach than Marcos (178 cm) and is 7 months younger. He ranks #24 on the Bantamweight worldwide chart and doesn’t come to this fight with any inferiority complex. In an interview accorded to MMA Junkie Radio, he said “Seeing Daniel and seeing his ‘0,’ I just keep saying I’m going to take his goose egg,”.
Also, Yanez is on a 1-win streak, after he inflicted a first-round knockout to Vinicius Salvador (14-6-0 prior to the fight) on May 18th.One key reason not to underestimate Yanez’s chances in this fight is the fact that he has mastery of the knockout art. In fact, 11 out of his 17 wins came from knockouts which is enough reason why he should feel confident approaching the Peruvian beast – “Sancora”.
Daniel Marcos vs Adrian Yanez – The Verdict
A key stat to consider in this fight is the significant strike landed per minute. This stands at 6.51 for Adrian Yanez vs 5.94 for Marcos; and in a fight that is likely to end standing, Yanez might have a slight edge if he manages to land most of his strikes.
On the other hand, if Marcos can manage to dictate the pace of the fight as he usually does so well and control the distance (to mitigate Yanez’ better reach), then fatigue will quickly set in for Yanez paving the way for a comfortable second of third-round win (Marcos has a better cardio).
Without a doubt, the fighter that can dominate the first few minutes of the fight with a better significant strike accuracy can take out his opponent in no time. This is one of those fights poised to end in a knockout by nature of the explosive skills of both fighters.
I am closely monitoring the odds movement, as this may further give us insights on the perfect bet to place.
Update
We’re in for an explosive fight night this weekend at the Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida. Two fighters Daniel Marcos and Adrian Yanez with similar strengths – their knockout skills. Adrian Yanez comes to this game as the clear underdog, but there are several reasons why I think he will create the surprise and pull out the win.
Yanez’ last win over Vinicius Salvador by knockout in the first round give me reason to believe Daniel Marcos should not think he will have an easy ride come the 15th of December.
Like I mentioned in my preview, the significant strike landed per minute stat speaks in favor of Yanez (6.51 vs 5.94 for Daniel Marcos). If Yanez succeeds in landing perfect shots while properly defending against the powerful strikes Marcos will throw at him, the game could well end in the first round.
I think the UFC world is in for a shock with this fight! I’m backing Adrian Yanez at an odd of 2.75 on VIP-IBC. Register on the best betting platform today to get the best odds and limits on MMA and other sports.