Yair Rodriguez pulls out of Noche UFC main event as new opponent revealed for Jean Silva

Yair Rodriguez’s inactivity is set to continue.

The former interim UFC featherweight champion has yet to fight in 2026 and has not competed twice in a calendar year since 2023.

Rodriguez was initially booked to fight Jean Silva in what would have been his first outing since beating Patricio Pitbull in April 2025.

That matchup was at the top of this year’s Noche UFC lineup, marking Rodriguez’s first time fighting at the event celebrating his home country’s independence. Unfortunately, he will no longer be making the walk on September 12.

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Jose Delgado replaces Yair Rodriguez against Jean Silva at Noche UFC

Before beating Pitbull early last year, Rodriguez was submitted by Brian Ortega in their rematch in Mexico City. That was a second consecutive setback for ‘El Pantera’, who had previously been knocked out by Alexander Volkanovski in their featherweight title unification fight three years ago.

The 33-year-old would have been hoping to get back on track and put his name back into the championship conversation against the surging Silva at Noche UFC.

It was recently revealed that this will no longer be the case, as Rodriguez has withdrawn for undisclosed reasons.

It did not take long for a replacement to be confirmed, with MMA Fighting reporting that Jose Delgado has stepped in to save the day and battle ‘Lord’ on late notice.

Noche UFC will take place at the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona. The No. 6-ranked Silva will be headlining the event for the second straight year, having been knocked out by Diego Lopes in September 2025.

He has since rebounded by defeating England’s Arnold Allen at UFC 324 this past January. He may have had the chance to secure his first title shot by getting the better of Rodriguez, had that bout stayed together.

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It is safe to say that fans are not happy to hear about Rodriguez’s withdrawal, which comes after plenty of inactivity for the Mexican in recent years.

Some online are even calling for ‘El Pantera’ to be cut from the roster after his latest failed return.

“More unreliable than Jon Jones.”

“He’s allergic to fighting.”

“Fights like once every two years and now he’s pulling out.”

“We gotta take Yair out of the rankings at this point.”

In Delgado, Silva will be preparing for a less experienced foe. The 28-year-old is 4-1 in the UFC, with his one loss coming against the highly regarded Nathaniel Wood.

He sits at No. 14 in the Meta UFC featherweight rankings, following wins over Andre Fili and Austin Bashi in his last two bouts.