UFC 334 on November 14 is turning out to be one hell of a cursed card. The promotion’s 13th visit to New York City, headlined by Ciryl Gane and Josh Hokit in their heavyweight clash, faces yet another cancellation after a bantamweight contender pulled out of an important bout with less than a month before the event gets underway.

According to UFC insider Kevin K, bantamweight contender Adrian Yanez has withdrawn from UFC 334’s featured prelims bout against Juan Diaz.

“🚨FIGHT UPDATE🚨 Adrian Yanez is out of his UFC 334 fight November 14th per sources,” the insider shared on X.

For now, the reason behind Adrian Yanez’s withdrawal from the MSG event remains undisclosed. Neither the UFC bantamweight fighter’s team nor the UFC has revealed any specific injury, illness, or other reason for his pullout.

Despite the mystery surrounding Yanez’s recent withdrawal, the Texas native has 2 previously canceled bouts on his resume— one against Christian Quinonez and the other against Aaron Phillips.

The difference, however, is that, on both occasions, it was his opponents who withdrew from the fights, not him. That makes Yanez’s UFC 334 withdrawal the first of his UFC career.

However, that doesn’t mean Adrian Yanez has remained immune to difficult times.

His activity in the bantamweight division was severely hampered by an undisclosed health issue he developed following his split-decision loss to Daniel Marcos in 2024. After the defeat, Yanez remained out of competition for almost the entirety of 2025.

The Texan finally returned in March 2026 at UFC Seattle and fought Ricky Simon to a controversial majority draw. Many believed Yanez had been robbed of a deserved victory. However, the bantamweight contender silenced the lingering doubters by finishing former 135 lbs champion Cody Garbrandt with a first-round knockout at UFC 329 in July.

The fight against Juan Diaz would have marked Yanez’s third appearance in 2026. Unfortunately, the 32-year-old will have to wait for his next return to the Octagon. With the circumstances surrounding his withdrawal unclear, it is also difficult to predict when Yanez will return.

But more importantly, Adrian Yanez’s withdrawal from the Madison Square Garden event is particularly detrimental to the card because it marks the third fight cancellation for the event.

Previously, the lightweight clash between Nazim Sadykhov and Jefferson Nascimento was canceled after both fighters pulled out of the event. Nascimento reportedly withdrew because of an undisclosed injury, while Sadykhov ended up informing the UFC that he did not want to face a replacement opponent.

The UFC 334 card also had Khamzat Chimaev’s teammate Baisangur Susurkaev facing Donte Johnson. However, the undefeated middleweight withdrew against Johnson for undisclosed reasons.

While the UFC scrambled and managed to add fights to the card, the recent cancellation has brought down the total number of fights on the card to 12.

As we can see, the UFC 334 card has already absorbed quite a few blows in terms of cancellations. Fortunately, some of the marquee bouts remain intact, particularly on the prelims.

Despite Adrian Yanez’s withdrawal, UFC 334 still has some exciting fights

With Adrian Yanez vs. Juan Diaz removed from the featured prelims spot, the UFC could push another bout into that position. In that case, Stephen Thompson vs. Charles Radtke would make perfect sense for the promotion as a gateway to the main card.

The former welterweight title challenger is set to retire at UFC 334, and it would be fitting if he did so in the final prelims bout of the MSG card. ‘Wonderboy’ is searching for a win after defeating Kevin Holland in 2022 and is currently on a 3-fight losing streak. It would be a fairy-tale ending for the veteran if he rode off into the sunset with a victory.

Further down the card, another seasoned fighter, Jim Miller, would take on Terrence McKinney in the prelims. The 43-year-old has experienced his share of ups and downs, but he has shown no signs of rust even at this stage of his career.

Miller would undoubtedly face a stern challenge in McKinney, who rarely goes past 1 round, and fans could be in for fast-paced action.

Plus, Drew Dober vs. Chris Duncan is also on the prelims card, and the matchup has fireworks written all over it. 

So, despite Adrian Yanez’s withdrawal from the event, many of the exciting bouts remain intact. However, there is still time before the event, and further cancellations could deteriorate the card even more.