More Fantasy News
Taking on Kyung Ho Kang
Yahya will fight Kyung Ho Kang in a bantamweight match at the UFC's event on July 31, Marcel Dorff of MMADNA reports.
ANALYSIS
The 36-year-old mat specialist defeated Ray Rodriguez back in March, and his next return to the Octagon will come late July. Meanwhile his opponent, Kang, has won six of his last seven fights, most recently defeating Liu Pingyuan in December of 2019.
The 36-year-old mat specialist defeated Ray Rodriguez back in March, and his next return to the Octagon will come late July. Meanwhile his opponent, Kang, has won six of his last seven fights, most recently defeating Liu Pingyuan in December of 2019.
New UFC/WEC record for finishes
Yahya defeated Ray Rodriguez via submission (arm-triangle) at 3:09 of Round 2 at UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Las Vegas.
ANALYSIS
Yahya's nine finishes are now the most in UFC/WEC bantamweight history. That's a shocking statistic considering Yahya hadn't won a fight since August 2018 prior to Saturday. Yahya is one of the most decorated mat specialists in MMA history and Rodriguez never had a chance. Yahya is now 36 years of age. He has 21 career submission wins and not a single knockout victory over the course of his near 40-fight MMA career. The Brazilian's future isn't all that bright given his advanced age and lack of power, but Yahya can tap out any man on the roster in an instant if given the opportunity.
Yahya's nine finishes are now the most in UFC/WEC bantamweight history. That's a shocking statistic considering Yahya hadn't won a fight since August 2018 prior to Saturday. Yahya is one of the most decorated mat specialists in MMA history and Rodriguez never had a chance. Yahya is now 36 years of age. He has 21 career submission wins and not a single knockout victory over the course of his near 40-fight MMA career. The Brazilian's future isn't all that bright given his advanced age and lack of power, but Yahya can tap out any man on the roster in an instant if given the opportunity.
Facing Ray Rodriguez
Yahya will take on Ray Rodriguez in a bantamweight fight on March 13, Marcel Dorff of MMADNA.nl reports.
ANALYSIS
Rodriguez was initially set to face Irwin Rivera, but Rivera will be unavailable following a recent arrest for attempted murder. Yahya hasn't won a fight since 2018, losing to Ricky Simon by unanimous decision in his only 2019 fight and drawing Enrique Barzola in his lone fight in 2020. In Rodriguez, he'll face an opponent who's 0-1 in his brief UFC career.
Rodriguez was initially set to face Irwin Rivera, but Rivera will be unavailable following a recent arrest for attempted murder. Yahya hasn't won a fight since 2018, losing to Ricky Simon by unanimous decision in his only 2019 fight and drawing Enrique Barzola in his lone fight in 2020. In Rodriguez, he'll face an opponent who's 0-1 in his brief UFC career.
Poor Round 3 leads to draw
Yahya and Enrique Barzola fought to a majority draw (28-29, 28-28, 28-28) at UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Brasilia, Brazil.
ANALYSIS
It was the correct call and one that's going to give Yahya plenty of sleepless nights in the near future. Clearly up on the judge's scorecards heading to the final frame, Yahya no-showed Round 3. Everything that made him successful over the course of the first ten minutes -- pace, takedowns, and some well-placed strikes -- vanished over the course of the final five minutes. This was an easily winnable fight for the 35-year-old Yahya and he simply gave it away. An aging fighter who entered as a +205 underdog simply cannot make such a mistake. This has the potential to be a result Yahya is unable to recover from.
It was the correct call and one that's going to give Yahya plenty of sleepless nights in the near future. Clearly up on the judge's scorecards heading to the final frame, Yahya no-showed Round 3. Everything that made him successful over the course of the first ten minutes -- pace, takedowns, and some well-placed strikes -- vanished over the course of the final five minutes. This was an easily winnable fight for the 35-year-old Yahya and he simply gave it away. An aging fighter who entered as a +205 underdog simply cannot make such a mistake. This has the potential to be a result Yahya is unable to recover from.
Fighting again at UFC Brasilia
Yahya will take on Enrique Barzola in a flyweight matchup at UFC Brasilia on March 14, Guilherme Cruz of MMAFighting.com reports.
ANALYSIS
Yahya has recorded wins at both of the UFC events in Brasilia in the past, and he will get another chance against Barzola in March. Yahya's most recent fight ended in a loss to Ricky Simon via unanimous decision at UFC 234 in February, ending his three-fight win streak. Barzola will be making his flyweight debut after going 5-3 in the featherweight division, most recently suffering a loss to Movsar Evloev via unanimous decision at UFC Singapore in October. Barzola has struggled in both wrestling and striking, while Yahya has shown to be adept in his grappling in past fights. Barzola carries a height advantage heading into the matchup.
Yahya has recorded wins at both of the UFC events in Brasilia in the past, and he will get another chance against Barzola in March. Yahya's most recent fight ended in a loss to Ricky Simon via unanimous decision at UFC 234 in February, ending his three-fight win streak. Barzola will be making his flyweight debut after going 5-3 in the featherweight division, most recently suffering a loss to Movsar Evloev via unanimous decision at UFC Singapore in October. Barzola has struggled in both wrestling and striking, while Yahya has shown to be adept in his grappling in past fights. Barzola carries a height advantage heading into the matchup.