UFC bantamweight Adrian Yanez has praised fellow Dana White’s Contender Series alumnus Jamahall Hill after he captured UFC gold in Brazil at UFC 283. The rising bantamweight contender has stated he’s just got a huge morale boost after watching Hill’s win last Saturday. Hill’s victory has furthered Yanez’s belief that he can do the same.
Yanez won his UFC contract on the contender series in 2020 after knocking out Brady Huang in the first round. After watching Hill’s performance in Rio, he believes the victory shows that championship talent can come out of the show. In fact, he believes it was something that was very much needed.
Adrian Yanez on Jamahal Hill’s Victory
“For the longest time, the Contender Series guys, some had gotten up there, but a lot of them weren’t able to get it,” Yanez told MMA Junkie Radio. “A lot of them have gotten super close. Even to the point that they’re in title contention, but then they lose that fight.
“Yeah, I’m really happy to see Jamahal Hill go out there and get the win, because it kind of solidifies what the Contender Series is about. They’ve had so many ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ champs but finally have a Dana White Contender Series champ. … It shows the Contender Series is going to start building a whole bunch of champs. There’s going to be an influx of champs. For me, I’m happy that he broke that barrier for a lot of us.”
It’s recently been announced that Yanez will make his return to the cage on April 8th when he takes on number 6-ranked Rob Font. A location and venue are yet to be announced. However, a win over Font will propel the 29-year-old right into the conversation for bantamweight contenders.
Do you believe that Adrian Yanez can follow in Jamahall Hill’s footsteps and capture UFC gold someday? Let us know!
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
