Desiree Yanez will make her Bellator debut on Thursday at Bellator 250. More than just her promotional debut, however, Yanez (5-2) will also be making her debut in the flyweight division.
Speaking to reporters in a virtual media day session this week, “Dirty Dez” said she’s never going back to 115lbs. “I don’t even feel like I’m about to cut weight,” she exclaimed. “Besides all the media and being here quarantined, it kind of just doesn’t even feel like I’m about to even really fight. It’s like almost like I get to just go have fun now.”
The last time we saw Yanez, she was taking on Melissa “Super Melly” Martinez under the Combate Americas banner. With that promotion’s strawweight belt on the line, Yanez lost a heart-breaking split decision.
“I was very frustrated. But at the end of the day, that’s my fault, right?” she said regarding the loss. “I shouldn’t have ever left it to the judges. And it’s kind of, you know, lesson learned. If it’s going to be a close fight, you need to go out there and give it all you got to finish it, or you need to make it an absolute, for-sure win all three rounds.”
Yanez, however, has moved on from the loss. “People ask me all the time about the Melissa fight. And I’m like, I’m here doing bigger and better things. New weight class with one of the biggest promotions in the world. What more could I ask for?”
For her Bellator debut, Yanez has drawn Veta Aerteaga, a veteran in the promotion’s 125lb weight class. “I know Veta is very tough. She’s been doing this longer than I have. She’s been with Bellator forever,” observed Yanez. “She’s very, very hard, she’s been hit with a hammer, you know what I mean? She’s a hard opponent. But I’ve been training all year, I’ve had like three fights cancel on me this year. So I’m just ready. I’ve been ready since like March when my rematch [with Martinez] was supposed to happen.”
Watch the full Bellator 250 virtual media day press scrum with Desiree Yanez above.
