UFC 287 is close to having its first fight booked.
Fireworks At 135
The fifth UFC pay-per-view event of 2023 is slated to be on April 8th and one bantamweight matchup is already on deck. According to MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck, #6 contender Rob Font will defend his top spot against rising star and #13 ranked Adrian Yanez. Contracts have not been signed as of yet, but the matchup is nearly a done deal.
The Lead-Up
Font is coming off his first two-fight skid in his career. The 35 year-old suffered defeats to former UFC Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo and fellow top contender Chito Vera, both by unanimous decision over the course of 5 rounds.
The main event losses to Aldo and Vera snapped Font’s four-fight win streak which included wins over former world champions in Cody Garbrandt and Marlon Moraes. Font looks to get back to winning ways when he meets the young and hungry Yanez.
Since bursting onto the scene in 2020 after a KO on Dana White’s Contender Series, Yanez has remained perfect inside the UFC. ‘Mr. Knockout’ has won all five of his fights inside the Octagon, with four of those coming by way of knockout.
Yanez last put on a show in his home state of Texas, where he finished heated rival Tony Kelley in one round at UFC Austin. The 29 year-old prospect will look to pick up yet another knockout when he meets Font, who has never been knocked out in his long 25-fight career.
