‘I was being an idiot’: Adrian Yanez says coach saved him before UFC 329 KO

Adrian Yanez returned to winning form at UFC 329, knocking out former bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt in the first round with a sharp combination, and credited coach Sayif Saud's ringside guidance for keeping him disciplined and pulling the trigger on the finish.

Yanez (18-6) and Garbrandt (15-8) clashed in a bantamweight bout on the main card in Las Vegas. In the opening moments, both men traded freely, but when Garbrandt came in aggressively, Yanez initially wanted to stand and brawl—a dangerous instinct he caught himself making. That's when Saud's distinct voice cut through the crowd noise: "Move, get out of there, don't. Stop." Yanez heeded the call, retreated to his game plan, and avoided the trap Garbrandt had set.

As the round progressed and blood was in the water, Saud called for the finish. Yanez, trusting his coach completely, unleashed the combination that put Garbrandt away less than three minutes into Round 1. "As soon as coach Sayif called for it, I went for it, I landed it, and I got the knockout," Yanez said in his post-fight interview, emphasizing how crucial the coaching partnership had become since joining Saud's camp.

The victory marked Yanez's first win in two years, ending a 15-month layoff that began with a majority draw against Ricky Simon in March. Garbrandt, meanwhile, has now dropped three of his last four outings, continuing a slide from his days as division champion. Yanez's knockout performance signals he is ready to push back into bantamweight contention.