Vinicius
Salvador
never envisioned this kind of start to his
Ultimate Fighting Championship career, as consecutive losses
have painted him into a corner.
The 2022
Dana White’s Contender Series graduate will once again set out
in search of his first win inside the Octagon when he confronts
Adrian
Yanez in a three-round
UFC Fight Night 241 bantamweight showcase this Saturday at the
UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Salvador, 27, believes he has identified
some of the missing pieces that have hampered him in back-to-back
defeats to
Victor
Altamirano and
C.J.
Vergara.
“We sat down and figured out some corrections,” he told
Sherdog.com. “I know I’m coming off two losses. It’s a bit
difficult and frustrating to be in this position in the UFC.
A
lot of folks say that even though I lost, the fights were closely
contested. We studied my losses, spotted my errors and
implemented corrections. I’m feeling very confident going into this
next one.”
Salvador likely faces an uphill climb as a heavy underdog in his
latest assignment. Despite recent losses to
Rob Font and
Jonathan
Martinez, Yanez remains one of the UFC’s most promising young
bantamweights. Knockouts of
Victor
Rodriguez,
Gustavo
Lopez,
Randy Costa
and
Tony
Kelley serve as warnings of the firepower he brings to the
table. A protégé of the late Saul Soliz, Yanez has six first-round
finishes to his credit.
“He’s very good,” Salvador said. “His boxing is very sharp. He
moves very well. He’s very experienced and has faced even more
experienced opponents. He’s a natural knockout artist, just like
me. His ground game is good, but we found some holes in his game.
We’re working with those in mind. I picture myself winning by
knockout, same as always. I always look to win by knockout. This
fight won’t be any different.
In advance of his looming battle with Yanez at 135 pounds, Salvador
turned to longtime trainer Marcelo Ribas to sharpen his skills and
identify any potential pitfalls.
“I’ve been with him since I was 8 years old,” Salvador said. “I
have the same training partners as always. We’ve been drilling
against the holes we found in Adrian’s game. Everything is going
very well in this camp. We’re getting ready for another win by
knockout.”
Because of the aforementioned losses to Altamirano and Vergara,
Salvador’s margin for error has grown precariously thin inside the
cutthroat bantamweight division. As a result, he has put his future
plans on hold in order to concentrate on the present.
“I’m only thinking about this fight right now,” he said. “I’m very
frustrated by my losses. I’m remaining grounded during this
training camp and keeping my focus. I’m facing a tough guy who has
a good deal of knockout power. I expect we’ll have a war. After the
fight, we’ll think about what’s next.”