UFC Vegas 81: Sodiq Yusuff vs. Edson Barboza continues on the main card with the featured fight in the bantamweight division between Jonathan Martinez and Adrian Yanez. Martinez is coming off the biggest win of his career against Said Nurmagomedov and has now won five in a row meanwhile, Yanez lost his last fight taking his first UFC loss inside the octagon against UFC veteran Rob Font. With that said, check out our UFC odds series for our Martinez-Yanez prediction and pick.
Jonathan Martinez (18-4) is primed to make a big splash in the bantamweight division this weekend with a fight against another up-and-coming prospect Adrian Yanez. Martinez has been surging ever since he took his loss against Davey Grant winning his next five fights in dominating fashion. He will look to extend his hot streak as he comes into this weekend at UFC Vegas 81.
Adrian Yanez (16-4) is looking to bounce back after his first loss in his UFC career against a mainstay at the top of the division Rob Font who brutally knocked him out in the first round. Before that fight, Yanez was a one-man wrecking crew knocking out five of his previous six opponents with four of them coming in the first round. Yanez is hoping this fight against Matthews will be different as he heads to the UFC Apex this weekend for what's expected to be an absolute barnburner of a fight.
Here are the UFC Odds, courtesy of DraftKings.
UFC Vegas 81 Odds: Jonathan Martinez-Adrian Yanez Odds
Jonathan Martinez: -110
Adrian Yanez: -110
Over 2.5 Rounds: +105
Under 2.5 Rounds: -135
How to Watch Jonathan Martinez vs. Adrian Yanez
TV: ESPN+
Stream: ESPN+
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET/ 1:00 p.m. PT (Prelims)
Why Jonathan Martinez Will Win
Jonathan Martinez is on an absolute tear winning five straight fights with his last two fights being the biggest of his career with a unanimous decision victory against Said Nurmagomedov and finishing Cub Swanson with leg kicks which was his only finish in those five fights. He gets to take on another fellow striker in Adrian Yanez who's arguably the most powerful striker Martinez has faced during his current win streak.
Yanez has had trouble in the past against strikers who tend to utilize a lot of long-range attacks like a stiff jab like Rob Font or kicks like Davey Grant. Martinez does a very good job maintaining his distance and if he's able to keep this fight at kicking range he should be able to outstrike Yanez and counter him all fight as he attempts to get into boxing range to take yet another unanimous decision and keep climbing the bantamweight rankings.
Why Adrian Yanez Will Win
Adrian Yanez took the first loss of his UFC career and his first knockout loss of his career as well at the hands of Rob Font. Font was able to pressure Yanez with his boxing eventually hurting him as Yanez tried to be aggressive. It was a brutal knockout loss which resulted in Yanez taking six months off to recover but he's back fully healthy and looking to avenge that loss when he takes on fellow striker Jonathan Martinez.
Yanez was on the rise until it was briefly halted but now he will get to showcase what he believes he should have done against Rob Font but this time against Jonathan Martinez. If Yanez can get on the inside of the kicks of Martinez and make this a brawl Yanez could land on Martinez and get him out of there kind of like Davey Grant did in the earlier part of Martinez's career.
Final Jonathan Martinez-Adrian Yanez Prediction & Pick
This is fantastic matchmaking by the UFC putting these two bantamweight contenders together in a fight that has fireworks written all over it. Martinez is one of the slickest kickboxers in the entire bantamweight division and he has just gotten better and better after each fight leading up to this featured bout with Adrian Yanez. He does a very good job at chopping away at the lead leg of his opponents which will be key here against a boxer in Yanez who is heavy on his lead leg.
As for Yanez, he thrives in a brawl where he can put his toughness to the test and just go for broke attempting to take out his opponents as early as possible. That worked for him for all of his fights in the UFC until he met his match with Rob Font. He now gets to take on a precision and technical striker in Martinez so it will be up to Yanez to bring that dogfight to him. Ultimately, this fight is going to be an absolute banger but it's Martinez who will be better suited in this fight as we've seen Yanez get countered on numerous occasions not just in the Font fight but in others as well, so if Martinez is able to keep his composure and make this fight as technical as possible he should keep his winning ways going and extend his winning streak to six.
Final Jonathan Martinez-Adrian Yanez Prediction & Pick: Jonathan Martinez (-110), Over 2.5 Rounds (+105)