5 reasons why Adrian Yanez could bring an end to Sean O'Malley's hype train

#2. Cardio

There is a clear cardio difference between Adrian Yanez and Sean O'Malley. 'Sugar' is a powerful, snappy counter-striker with exceptional speed. But at the cost of this speed and power, O'Malley suffers in another regard: his cardio.

O'Malley, while lanky, is an athlete with a wealth of fast-twitch muscle fibers. It enables him to generate maximum force in minimum time and is also the source of his natural speed. Unfortunately, this means he has less oxidative, slow-contracting muscle fibers, which fighters like Tony Ferguson and Nate Diaz possess in spades and use to support their phenomenal cardio.

Throughout his career as a mixed martial artist, O'Malley typically slows down towards the end of the second round. Adrian Yanez, by contrast, possesses superior cardio, having taken part in more two-round fights and three-round fights than 'Sugar'. In fact, the Texan has even had a five-round fight in the LFA promotion.

One of his most recent performances involved outlasting the power-punching Randy Costa until the latter was gassed by the 2nd round. Given all of the other tools Adrian Yanez possesses that will likely trouble O'Malley, a superior gas tank will only render the fight more difficult for the bantamweight division's colorful star.

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#1. Rhythm breaks

Sean O'Malley is a counter-striker who has built his career around punishing opponents for throwing ill-advised punches and kicks. This is often magnified by the height and reach advantages he possesses over everyone he faces. As a result, opponents struggle to impose the threat of their jab against him.

Adrian Yanez, though, is a different breed of counter-striker. He is a counter-striker who toys with rhythm. As mentioned in one of the previous entries, the Texan interrupts the jabs of taller foes by jabbing whenever they do. However, he also builds off of the results of these jabs.

O'Malley will almost certainly be eager to counter Yanez's jabs. However, Adrian Yanez is a rhythm-changer, which allows him to counter his opponents' ill-placed counter-punches. He slows down the speed of his jab, causing longer and taller fighters to close the distance on him and create boxing exchanges in the pocket without risk to himself.