Former interim title champion Yair Rodríguez is booked for the main event at Noche UFC on September 12. It is the first time that the Mexican fighter will fight at one of the yearly Noche events. He is set to take on Jean Silva in the featherweight division. Silva was on last year’s Noche UFC card, where he lost to former two-time title challenger Diego Lopes.
The UFC announced the fight on its social media. In the UFC media rankings, Rodríguez is ranked fifth, and Silva is sixth. However, in the Meta UFC rankings, Silva holds down the number six spot while Rodríguez drops out of the rankings completely. The event takes place at the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona.
[ LIVE SEPT 12 on @ParamountPlus ]
El Pantera Wants To Make Another Run
After winning The Ultimate Fighter Latin America in 2014, Yair Rodríguez signed a multi-fight deal with the UFC. The Mexican fighter was immediately seen as one of the biggest prospects in the featherweight division. After his TUF win, Rodríguez won another three fights against opponents like Dan Hooker and Andre Fili. With four UFC wins under his belt, Rodríguez got his first main event in 2016 against Alex Caceres. In a competitive fight, the Mexican fighter won via split decision. After also beating UFC legend and former champion BJ Penn, Rodríguez took on former champion and still top 3 fighter Frankie Edgar. That fight came too early for the still-developing Rodríguez, who suffered a defeat via TKO at the end of the second round. The Mexican fighter didn’t fight after that for one and a half years, but returned devastatingly against The Korean Zombie.
Rodríguez was about to lose a 49-46 decision until he knocked out Zombie with only one second left on the clock with an elbow. Rodríguez kept working his way up in the division and only lost to former champion Max Holloway between 2018 and 2023. At the beginning of 2023, after beating Brian Ortega, Rodríguez got a chance to fight for the interim title against Josh Emmett. Rodríguez won via triangle choke submission, setting up the fight for the undisputed belt against champion Alexander Volkanovski. Rodríguez lost via TKO in the third round. After also losing in a rematch against Ortega, Rodríguez had to win in his most recent fight against Patricio Pitbull to remain in the top 10 of the division. Rodríguez won via unanimous decision and now has to defend his spot in the top 5 against Jean Silva.
Barking And Biting At Featherweight
Silva is currently one of the biggest fan favorites in the UFC. The Brazilian fighter earned his UFC contract in 2023 during the Contender Series, beating Kevin Vallejos via unanimous decision. That fight is one of the best fights in Contender Series history. In his 2024 debut year with the promotion, Silva made a massive statement by securing knockout victories in all three of his outings. His impressive promotional run included stoppage wins over Westin Wilson, Charles Jourdain, and seasoned veteran Drew Dober. After also beating Melsik Baghdasaryan and submitting Bryce Mitchell, the UFC gave Silva a chance to earn a title shot last year during Noche UFC’s main event against Diego Lopes.
After surviving a one-sided first round, Silva turned the tide and built significant momentum in the second. Lopes looked vulnerable for a moment, but when Silva got overly aggressive, Lopes found his opening and stopped his countryman via TKO with only seconds left in the round. A painful loss for Silva, but he was able to bounce back at the beginning of this year by beating Arnold Allen in a close fight via unanimous decision. Silva now gets the opportunity to fight Rodríguez and knows that if he wins, a title shot might be in the near future.
Noche UFC – September 12 (Desert Diamond Arena)
- Yair Rodríguez vs. Jean Silva
- Manon Fiorot vs. Alexa Grasso
- Waldo Cortes Acosta vs. Curtis Blaydes
- Brandon Moreno vs. Joseph Morales
- David Martínez vs. Dan Ige
- Ignacio Bahamondes vs. Muslim Salikhov
- Tim Elliott vs. Edgar Chairez
- Kelvin Gastelum vs. Yousri Belgaroui
- JJ Aldrich vs. Regina Tarin
Yair Rodríguez Headlines Noche UFC for the First Time