Adrian Yanez vs. Tony Kelley Set For UFC Austin On June 18

Bantamweight prospect Adrian Yanez is set to enter the Octagon for the first time in 2022 at UFC Austin on June 18, where he’ll collide with Tony Kelley.

The pair will throw down inside The Moody Center in what will be the UFC’s first trip to Texas since 2018. News of the matchup was broken by Yanez’s representation, Iridium Sports Agency, with the rising 135lber sharing the post on his personal social media platforms soon after.

Yanez (15-3) has been calling for a fight for a while and has finally had his wish of competing in his home state granted. On June 18, the La Porte native will be looking to continue his fast ascension up the bantamweight ladder by extending his perfect UFC record to 5-0.

So far, Yanez has dispatched Victor Rodriguez, Gustavo Lopez, Randy Costa, and Davey Grant since graduating through Dana White’s Contender Series in 2020. Having been taken to the scorecards in the Octagon for the first time last November, the 28-year-old will be hoping to return to his knockout ways when he enters the cage for the first time this year.

Given the talk of a potential fight with #13-ranked Sean O’Malley, whose now being lined up to face top-10 bantamweight Pedro Munhoz in July, it stands to reason that another victory for Yanez will land him a big-name opponent and perhaps even a number next to his name soon enough.

But looking to put an end to Yanez’s hype will be Kelley (8-2), a Louisianan who has fought under the UFC banner on three occasions. Most recently, the 35-year-old moved his promotional record to 2-1 with a TKO finish over one of Yanez’s former opponents, Costa, after which he called out Yanez for a fight in Texas.

Fans may recall Kelley hitting the headlines last time out after opting for a 20-hour drive to Las Vegas over wearing a mask on a plane. He’ll be making a slightly shorter trip to Austin this time around.

The current fights expected to take place on the UFC Austin card are as follows:

Calvin Kattar vs. Josh Emmett (featherweight main event)

Donald Cerrone vs. Joe Lauzon (lightweight)

Tim Means vs. Kevin Holland (welterweight)

Damir Ismagulov vs. Guram Kutateladze (lightweight)

Roman Dolidze vs. Kyle Daukaus (middleweight)

Adrian Yanez vs. Tony Kelley (bantamweight)

Joaquin Buckley vs. Albert Duraev (middleweight)

Eddie Wineland vs. Cody Stamann (bantamweight)

Court McGee vs. Jeremiah Wells (welterweight)

Maria Oliveira vs. Gloria de Paul (women’s strawweight)

Julian Marquez vs. Gregory Rodrigues (middleweight)

Phil Hawes vs. Deron Winn (middleweight)

Jasmine Jasudavicius vs. Natalie Silva (women’s flyweight)

Who do you think will have their hand raised at UFC Austin, Adrian Yanez or Tony Kelley?

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