Adrian Yanez out of UFC 334 bout with Juan Diaz, per MMA Fighting sources

Adrian Yanez has withdrawn from his scheduled UFC 334 bantamweight bout against Juan Diaz, according to MMA Fighting reporter Mike Heck, who cited sources on Saturday, October 17. The fight was booked for the November 14 card at Madison Square Garden in New York, headlined by Ciryl Gane vs Josh Hokit for the heavyweight title.

Heck wrote on X that Yanez "is out of his scheduled fight at #UFC334 vs. Juan Diaz, per sources," adding that there was "no replacement opponent yet for Diaz, but plan is for him to remain on the card." Bloody Elbow and Knockout Daily both reported the same development on October 17–18, attributing the first public tip to insider Kevin K (@realkevink). Neither the UFC, Yanez nor Diaz has issued an official statement, and no reason for the pullout has been confirmed.

What is known so far

The report is still based on unnamed sources. There has been no confirmation of an injury, illness or other medical issue. Knockout Daily noted that a replacement for Diaz had not been named as of Saturday, and that the promotion's plan, per Heck, is to keep Diaz on the Madison Square Garden lineup.

Yanez vs Diaz had been listed among the prelims on the UFC 334 fight card. Bloody Elbow described it as a preliminary bout featuring a bantamweight fan favorite in Yanez.

Yanez's recent run

Knockout Daily reported that this would be the first time Yanez has withdrawn from a UFC bout himself; previous scrapes against Christian Quinonez and Aaron Phillips came when the other fighter pulled out. After a split-decision loss to Daniel Marcos in 2024 and an undisclosed health issue that kept him out through 2025, Yanez returned in March 2026 with a majority draw against Ricky Simon, then knocked out former bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt in the first round at UFC 329. Diaz would have been his third appearance of 2026.

A thinning UFC 334 undercard

UFC 334 already lost other matchups earlier in the build. MMA Junkie reported in early October that Nazim Sadykhov vs Jefferson Nascimento was scrubbed after both fighters dealt with injuries and Sadykhov declined a short-notice replacement. MMA Fighting separately reported that Baisangur Susurkaev came off his booking with Donte Johnson, with Cesar Almeida stepping in to face Johnson. The main event remains Ciryl Gane's first heavyweight title defense against Josh Hokit, with Kayla Harrison vs Amanda Nunes co-headlining for the women's bantamweight title.

Until the UFC or either camp confirms a new opponent for Diaz — or an official reason for Yanez's exit — the bout should be treated as off based on the reporting from Heck and the outlets that followed his update.