Rob Font made the most of an important moment Saturday when he returned to the win column with a first-round knockout of Adrian Yanez at UFC 287 in Miami.
In the featured pay-per-view main card slot, Font (20-6 MMA, 10-5 UFC) finished Yanez (16-4 MMA, 5-1 UFC) with punches at 2:57 of Round 1.
The fight, which many predicted would be Fight of the Night at Kaseya Center, potentially lived up to the hype for as long as it lasted. Yanez landed damaging shots prior to Font’s final flurry. After a couple of exchanges, Font’s face was noticeably swollen but he continued to push forward.
A counter right hand floored Yanez to the canvas. Font pounced with hammerfists and finished the fight until referee Keith Peterson dove in and saved Yanez.
ROB FONT GETS IT DONE IN THE BIGGEST WAY!!@RobSFont with the KO in Round 1! #UFC287 pic.twitter.com/lMuCBwsDqe
— UFC (@ufc) April 9, 2023
With the victory, Font snaps a two-fight skid, which consisted of unanimous decision losses to Marlon Vera and Jose Aldo. Following the Vera loss, the most recent of the two, Font elected to take a year off from competition, at the advice of New England Cartel coach Tyson Chartier, due to damage sustained.
For Yanez, the defeat is his first in the UFC and it snaps a nine-fight winning streak overall. It marked the first time Yanez has been finished in his MMA career.
Up-to-the-minute UFC 287 results include:
- Rob Font def. Adrian Yanez via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 2:57
- Kevin Holland def. Santiago Ponzinibbio via knockout (punches) – Round 3, 3:16
- Christian Rodriguez def. Raul Rosas Jr. via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Kelvin Gastelum def. Chris Curtis via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
- Luana Pinheiro def. Michelle Waterson-Gomez via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Joe Pyfer def. Gerald Meerschaert via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 3:15
- Loopy Godinez def. Cynthia Calvillo via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 30-27)
- Ignacio Bahamondes def. Trey Ogden via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
- Steve Garcia def. Shayilan Nuerdanbieke via knockout (body kick, punches) – Round 2, 0:36
- Sam Hughes def. Jaqueline Amorim via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 287.
