Gustavo Lopez

Gustavo Lopez vs. Adrian Yanez

Round 1
Switching gears to the bantamweight category, Yanez (12-3, 1-0 UFC) and Lopez (12-5, 1-1 UFC) square off in what should be a fun one between two men who vastly prefer the finish. Trying to keep up with these fast-paced fighters will be referee Chris Tognoni, and they respectfully touch gloves to begin their melee. Both men come out hesitant, jumping back and forth but not engaging with anything of note. It takes 50 seconds before a man lands a strike, as they both trade left hands. Lopez comes out to take his foe’s head off, throwing a winding left hand but just missing as it blows Yanez’ head back. Yanez backs off to land a leg kick, and he scores a right hand that forces Lopez to retreat. Lopez kicks the calf once, and he has another checked when Yanez walks him down to throw a one-two. Lopez advances and gets clipped by a right hand, but he wears it well and takes another on the chin for good measure. Yanez starts sizing up that right hand and Lopez is looking for angles but cannot close the distance. Lopez lands a short combination, only to get disrupted by a quick left hand. Lopez boots Yanez in the body and strafes away to avoid the counter. Lopez paws out a jab, and Yanez gives him one back only to take a right hand square on the chin. Yanez quickly brings up a front kick on the jaw, and a heavy left-right stings Lopez. Yanez follows the punches with a front kick right to the sternum, and he nails Lopez coming in with a sharp left hand that drops him to a knee. Lopez stumbles off and gathers himself, where he starts dancing on the outside and gets worked with crisp punches. Yanez’ boxing is crisp, and he hurts Lopez with a few punches and busts Lopez’ nose up. Yanez catches a body kick and walks Lopez down, where he lands a one-two and resets. Two more punches find their mark before the horn sounds, and a confident Yanez strides away.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Yanez
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Yanez
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Yanez

Round 2
Yanez takes the center of the cage to start the second frame, and he catches Lopez on the end of a right hand. Lopez darts in, lobs a bomb that comes up short, and ducks away in time to not get countered. Both men throw front kicks at the same time, and one clicks off a cup but there is no pause. Yanez threatens with a flying knee, and Lopez sees it coming just in time to back away. The Texan gets off a right hand even while Lopez lands on him, and he slowly marches Lopez down. When Lopez lets go, Yanez fires big shots. Yanez cracks Lopez on the chin and sets him down, and although he tries to finish the fight, he cannot secure the stoppage when Lopez shoots in for a desperation takedown from his seat. Yanez stuffs it, lands a few more shots and tries to punctuate a combination with a flying knee. Yanez does not step on the accelerator to force a stoppage, and instead backs off to keep his counter-happy gameplan in full display. Yanez fakes and feints as he waves his hands around and switches his stances, freezing Lopez in place but neither man commit to any strikes. Yanez stays out of range from jabs, but he does take a stiff calf kick as the two stare at one another from a distance. Yanez sneaks up a head kick, and it is just blocked in time. The pace wanes as neither want to make any mistakes, and out of nowhere, Yanez blasts Lopez with a right hand. Lopez eats it like a sandwich and starts advancing, but he backs off when Yanez threatens with a head kick. Yanez aims and misses with another head kick, spinning around but keeping Lopez at bay. A body kick from Yanez leads to a single punch from Lopez, and Yanez is able to counter him right before the bell.

Sherdog Scores
Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Yanez
Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Yanez
Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Yanez

Round 3
The bantamweights touch gloves, and Lopez grins as he comes out of his corner. Yanez jabs out with a punch and a kick, and he steps back to admire his handiwork.
Lopez winds up with a strike, and a pinpoint-accurate right hand cracks him square on the jaw. Lopez falls face-first to the ground, and Tognoni leaps in to halt the action as Lopez’ forehead bounces off the canvas.
This was a masterful performance for Yanez, who looks every bit a future contender after that impressive victory over a tough foe.

The Official Result
Adrian Yanez def. Gustavo Lopez R3 0:27 via KO (Punch)