Adrian Yanez has withdrawn from his featured prelims bout against Juan Diaz at UFC 334, pulling one more fight from a card scheduled for November 14. The UFC has not named a replacement opponent.
The withdrawal matters now because UFC 334 has been shrinking in the final stretch before fight night, and the latest change leaves the event with 12 fights. Yanez, 32, was set for what would have been his third appearance in 2026.
That is part of what makes this pullout notable. Yanez is being described as making his first UFC withdrawal, even though two previous bouts on his record against Christian Quinonez and Aaron Phillips never happened because both of those opponents withdrew. This time, the UFC has not said why Yanez is out, and neither his team nor the promotion has disclosed whether the reason is an injury, illness or something else.
The context around his recent run helps explain why so many readers are looking at this change closely. After a split-decision loss to Daniel Marcos in 2024, Yanez was sidelined for almost all of 2025 by an undisclosed health issue. He returned in March 2026 at UFC Seattle, where he fought Ricky Simon to a controversial majority draw, then stopped Cody Garbrandt with a first-round knockout at UFC 329 in July. The canceled bout with Diaz would have been the next step in that rebound.
UFC 334 has already taken other hits. A lightweight clash between Nazim Sadykhov and Jefferson Nascimento was canceled after both fighters pulled out, with Nascimento citing an undisclosed injury and Sadykhov telling the UFC he did not want to face a replacement opponent. Baisangur Susurkaev also withdrew from a fight against Donte Johnson for undisclosed reasons, leaving Ciryl Gane and Josh Hokit to headline the card in a heavyweight clash.
For now, the unresolved part is simple: Juan Diaz is still without an opponent, and UFC 334 is moving forward with one fewer fight and one more blank spot where a matchup had been expected.
