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Rising Contender Remains Undefeated after Razor-Close Fight at UFC Tampa

Daniel Marcos took another step towards the UFC bantamweight rankings with his latest win.

Drew Beaupre

(Zuffa LLC)

The final UFC main card of the year in Tampa, FL included a highly-anticipated bantamweight matchup between Adrian Yanez and the undefeated Daniel Marcos.

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Following a unanimous decision against Brandon Lewis to earn a UFC contract on Dana White's Contender Series in 2022, Marcos made his promotional debut at UFC 283 and quickly introduced himself to fans by stopping Saimon Oliveira with strikes in the second round.

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The undefeated fighter improved to 2-0 in the UFC after beating Davey Grant before a matchup with Aoriqileng ended in a No Contest due to a groin shot, but after defeating John Castañeda in June it set Marcos up for a huge fight with Yanez at the promotion's year-ending event in Tampa.

Yanez was a fast-rising prospect in the bantamweight division himself until he suffered back-to-back losses to Rob Font and Jonathan Martinez, and despite scoring a first-round finish against Vinicius Salvador to snap that skid the 31-year-old still found himself as an underdog against the undefeated Marcos.

Marcos landed a big punch early in the first round that looked to have rocked Yanez before the action was stopped due to a simultaneous eye poke and groin strike, and when things resumed both bantamweights landed some big shots until they finished the round in a clinch along the fence.

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It was Yanez who stunned his opponent with a left hand to open what ended up being an action-packed second round, and in the third frame the two men initially exchanged some wild flurries before Marcos decided to utilize his grappling to grind out a split decision victory.

UFC Tampa kicked off with four-straight decisions before the night's final three prelim bouts all ended via knockout, and before Marcos' victory the main card also saw another undefeated fighter collect a win when Najavo Stirling defeated Tuco Tokkos in a light heavyweight contest.

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Drew Beaupre
DREW BEAUPRE

Drew is an MMA writer that regularly watches regional events in addition to major promotions such as the UFC, PFL, Bellator, and ONE Championship. He joined MMA Knockout when it was founded in 2023.

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