Longtime UFC featherweight contender Yair Rodriguez explained why he was forced to withdraw from his main event fight at Noche UFC.
Rodriguez was set to take on Jean Silva in the Noche UFC headliner, a card set to take place on September 12 at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona. However, Rodriguez was forced to withdraw from the fight, and Silva will now take on Jose Delgado in the main event instead.
Yair Rodriguez Explains Noche UFC Withdrawal
Taking to his social media, Rodriguez issued a statement explaining why he withdrew from Noche UFC, revealing that an injury took him out of the fight against Silva.
“I got injured. I tried to continue my preparation, but ultimately, it wasn’t responsible to compete under these conditions. I wanted this fight, and I know many of you did too. Now my job is to fully recover and return ready to compete at the level you expect of me—and that I expect of myself. Thank you to everyone who continues to support me. See you soon,” Rodriguez wrote on his Instagram.
Fans Beginning to Sour on Yair Rodriguez
A UFC fighter since he made his debut in 2014 following a stint winning “The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America,” Rodriguez has recorded an 11-4, 1 NC record inside the Octagon since then.
The Mexican native has been responsible for many highlights over the years, especially his last-second elbow KO win over “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung at UFC Denver in November 2018, which to this day is still one of the greatest highlight-reel knockouts in MMA history.
Rodriguez also holds notable UFC victories over BJ Penn, Dan Hooker, Josh Emmett, Brian Ortega, and Patricio Pitbull.
However, he has been very inactive in recent years. He fought only once in 2024, only once in 2025, and he has not fought at all in 2026. Due to this injury taking him out of the Silva fight at Noche UFC, he’s unlikely to get back into the Octagon until 2027.
When he’s healthy and active, Rodriguez is a very fun fighter to watch. But in recent years, he hasn’t competed much, leading to fan frustration.
Yair Rodriguez Explains Why He Pulled Out of Noche UFC