LAS VEGAS – Vinicius Salvador has leaned into the mental side of the fight game going into UFC Fight Night 241, and he thinks that’ll produce a spectacular result against Adrian Yanez.

After losing his first two UFC appearances by split decision in the flyweight division, Salvador (14-6 MMA, 0-2 UFC) was at a loss about how things have gone so wrong. He earned a contract for a nasty TKO win on Dana White’s Contender Series in August 2022, but his run on the big stage has been difficult to grasp.

That’s why Salvador made some adjustments for Saturday’s matchup with Yanez (16-5 MMA, 5-2 UFC) at the UFC Apex (ESPN+). The fight will happen at bantamweight, and Salvador said he’s done what’s necessary to get over the fact his UFC record could be flipped at 2-0 if a few minor breaks had gone his way.

“Coming off of two losses, after those I’ve been working a lot on my mental aspect,” Salvador told MMA Junkie and other reporters through an interpreter at Wednesday’s media day. “Both of them being split decisions, it’s not something you expect, so you need to work on your mental side to get back in the game. I’m feeling ready now. I’m feeling 100 percent, and I went back to my origins, and I feel as good as I did when I came into Contender Series.”

Salvador’s spirits are boosted by his opportunity at UFC Fight Night 241. Yanez is coming off consecutive losses, as well, but he’s a far more known commodity in the company and has been ranked at 135 pounds.

One perspective could be that the UFC put this fight together to help Yanez get back on track, and the betting odds agree with that as he is currently a sizeable -380 favorite. Salvador, however, looks at it differently.

“I was actually really surprised UFC put me against him,” Salvador said. “He is someone. There’s a spot in the rankings with him and he’s in the pecking order in the division. What I think is the UFC did that to me because they trusted me. They put me against an opponent that is tough and hard to overcome. I cannot sleep on him. I have to be very grounded mentally and physically. I can’t leave any openings for anything because he’s a guy like me who likes to knock people out.”

Although both men have proven power when throwing strikes in the cage, Salvador, 27, said he only sees the result going one way.

“It’s going to be a knockout, rest assured,” Salvador said. He’s a tough guy. He can take a punch. But you know what? Write it down, first round, I’m going to knock him out.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 241.

LAS VEGAS – It’s all full circle for Lerone Murphy.

The last time he was in Las Vegas was in 2015, not as a fighter but as a fan. A lot has changed since Murphy (13-0-1 MMA, 5-0-1 UFC) attended UFC 189, a consensus all-time card headlined by Conor McGregor vs. Chad Mendes.

At that time, Murphy was an amateur, undefeated at 3-0. The goose egg in the loss column was maintained through one more amateur fight and 14 professional bouts.

The success has led him to his first promotional main event on Saturday at UFC Fight Night 241. The card streams on ESPN+.

“It’s massive,” Murphy told MMA Junkie and other reporters Wednesday at a pre-fight news conference. I visited Las Vegas in 2016 to watch McGregor and Mendes, and since then, I’ve always thought this is a place I need to fight. This is the fight capital. Now, we’re here. … My thoughts (when I heard of this matchup) were, ‘Wow. This is my opportunity. This is my breakthrough. This is my time to shine now.’”

Murphy has a well-known and formidable opponent for his first five-round clash. He battles the always-exciting Edson Barboza (24-11 MMA, 18-11 UFC), a man he respects greatly.

“Not really the aspect of being main event, that’s not really it,” Murphy said. “Who I’m fighting is more so the big thing. I’m fighting Edson Barboza, a legend of the sport, a dangerous fighter. That’s what excited me, yeah. … (A win) puts me up there, solidifies my name, puts me among the elite of the elite. It gives me a shot at that top 10 afterward.”

Ten weeks after UFC Fight Night 241, the promotion touches down in Manchester, England for the first time since October 2016. The timing is certainly not ideal, but Murphy hopes the stars align where he leaves Saturday’s bout unscathed enough to compete in his home city.

“Of course, I want to be on that card,” Murphy said. “It’s a Manchester card. I’m a Mancunian. I say, again, I’m the only Mancunian on the roster ever, born and bred. So it’d only be right for me to be on there. But I think it’s six weeks away. Obviously, I’m in a five-round fight. I don’t expect on there. But if we can get through this fight unscathed and with a win, then I’ll definitely be asking the matchmaker to put me on.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 241.

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