While on paper it was a split year for bantamweight up and comer Adrian Yanez with one win and one loss, but overall he feels it was a productive year.
“My 2017 went 50/50 looking at my fights,” Yanez told MMAWeekly.com. “I had a split-decision loss to Domingo (Pilarte at LFA 7 in March). I had a really solid win over Trent Meaux (at LFA 26 in November).
“It was a great learning experience that year. I had to learn a lot about myself. I had to change some things after the Domingo fight. Mentally I needed to be stronger. For the Trent fight I had a change of opponent, so it threw me for a loop, but knowing I was able to adapt to it, it helped me out.”
Along with his mentality changing, Yanez overhauled his nutrition plan in an effort to right himself following his loss to Pilarte.
“Part of why 2017 was a big year for me, I pretty much changed my whole lifestyle,” said Yanez. “I had fought in 2016 against Colin Wright and went off the deep end. I was eating junk food and not the right things.
“After the Domingo fight, I realized that if I’m going to do this, I’m going to have to change my whole lifestyle. I changed my diet. I changed what I do. I spent more time in the gym. And just made sure I was a healthier person.”
This Friday in Houston, Texas, Yanez (6-2) takes on late replacement Nathan Trepagnier (4-3) in a main card 135-pound fight at LFA 35.
“For this fight I had really planned on (my original opponent) Miles John,” Yanez said. “He had my full focus. Since he got injured I’ve had to sit back and worry about myself. I had to realize the treats and dangers I pose (to Trepagnier) and I want to capitalize on that.”
While Yanez is not 100-percent what path he wants to take moving forward, he may jump to a different weight division if it allows him more opportunities.
“Each fight presents its own options after,” said Yanez. “It depends on what type of fight you have. I can say I want a 135lb belt around my waist, but then my next two fights can go not as I planned, so you get held back, so I’m just going to take it fight by fight.
“I’ve been thinking of dropping to 125-pound because it looks like a good path to me for a belt. But it just depends on where everything takes me.”
