Adrian Yanez is in the hospital and out of UFC 334.
The bantamweight posted a photo of himself in a hospital bed to his Instagram Story on Monday morning, confirming he won’t face Juan Diaz on Nov. 14 at Madison Square Garden. He didn’t say what’s wrong. He did crack a joke about how his week was going, tacked on a crying-laughing emoji, and then got honest.
“Humor is my way of coping,” Yanez wrote. “Really wanted to fight at MSG, the history there and I wanted to be a part of it.”
He added that he plans to be back soon, Lord willing.
The withdrawal first surfaced Saturday, when UFC insider Kevin K posted on X that Yanez was out. Mike Heck of MMA Fighting followed up and credited Kevin K with the first report, adding that there was no replacement for Diaz yet but the plan is to keep him on the card. Neither the UFC nor Yanez’s team has disclosed a specific injury or illness, and as of Monday the promotion still hadn’t made an official announcement.
According to Essentially Sports, this is the first time Yanez has pulled out of a UFC fight. He’s had two bouts canceled before, against Christian Quinonez and Aaron Phillips, but both times the other guy bailed.
The health angle is what sticks with me. Yanez (18-6-1) already lost most of two years to an undisclosed health issue that cropped up after his split-decision loss to Daniel Marcos in 2024. He sat out all of 2025, came back in March 2026 and fought Ricky Simon to a majority draw that plenty of people thought he won, then flattened former bantamweight champ Cody Garbrandt in the first round at UFC 329 in July. The Diaz fight would have been his third appearance of 2026, which is real momentum for a guy who couldn’t get in the cage a year ago.
Even with the Garbrandt finish, the 32-year-old Contender Series alum is 2-3-1 since 2022, per MMA Mania, and still on the outside of the Top 15.
Garbrandt, for what it’s worth, is taking his next fight on a wrestling mat. He’ll face former Bellator champ Sergio Pettis at Real American Freestyle 15 in Chicago on Nov. 28.
UFC 334 keeps losing pieces. Yanez vs. Diaz is the third bout to fall off, after Nazim Sadykhov vs. Jefferson Nascimento collapsed and Baisangur Susurkaev pulled out of his fight with Donte Johnson again. The top of the card is intact: Ciryl Gane defends the heavyweight title against Josh Hokit in the main event, and Kayla Harrison meets Amanda Nunes in the co-main. Stephen Thompson’s retirement fight against Charles Radtke is still on the prelims too.
My take: Yanez gets a pass here, no questions asked. A fighter who already burned a full year on a health problem and is now posting from a hospital bed doesn’t owe anybody a diagnosis. What I want is for matchmakers to find Diaz a live body with real stakes, ideally some bantamweight with a gym bag already packed who’ll take a fight at the Garden on less than four weeks’ notice. That guy will have my full attention on Nov. 14.
