Ex-UFC Champion Reveals Cause for Withdrawal From Noche UFC Main Event

Former UFC titleholder Yair Rodriguez has shared an update with fans following his unexpected withdrawal from Noche UFC.

Scheduled for September 12 at the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona, this year’s Noche UFC features several former UFC champions and some of the promotion’s biggest names from Mexico.

Rodriguez was scheduled to headline the event opposite Jean Silva in a massive fight for the featherweight title picture, but unfortunately “El Pantera” was forced off the card and has been replaced by Jose Delgado.

Yair Rodriguez Reveals Injury Caused Noche UFC Pullout

A specific reason for Rodriguez’s withdrawal wasn’t provided when the news initially broke, but the former UFC titleholder later took to Instagram to reveal that he’d suffered an injury during training.

“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.”

Yair Rodriguez (red gloves) fights against Patricio Pitbull (blue gloves) during UFC 314 at Kaseya Center. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Fans haven’t seen Rodriguez in action since UFC 314, where “El Pantera” welcomed former Bellator star Patricio Pitbull to the UFC and defeated the Brazilian via unanimous decision.

Former Interim UFC Champion Currently Absent from Featherweight Rankings

This year’s Noche UFC still features two former UFC titleholder from Mexico in Alexa Grasso and Brandon Moreno, but Rodriguez’s withdrawal will unfortunately extend the 33-year-old’s streak of never competing on a Noche UFC card.

Winner of Season 1 of The Ultimate Fighter Latin America, Rodriguez went on an undefeated run to
begin his UFC career before being stopped by UFC Hall of Famer Frankie Edgar at UFC 211.

Yair Rodriguez (blue gloves) prior to the fight against Alexander Volkanovski (red gloves) during UFC 290 at T-Mobile Arena. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Following a loss to former UFC Featherweight Champion Max Holloway in 2021, Rodriguez defeated Brian Ortega and submitted Josh Emmett at UFC 284 to claim the interim UFC featherweight belt.

Yair Rodriguez (red gloves) celebrates after defeating Josh Emmett (not pictured) to win the interim featherweight championship during UFC 284 at RAC Arena. | USA TODAY Sports

“El Pantera” was stopped by Alexander Volkanovski in their title unification fight before Ortega submitted them in their rematch, and he’s currently unranked in the Meta UFC Top 15 after his most recent appearance against Pitbull.

Rodriguez will hopefully be able to return before the end of the year, but for now Noche UFC 4 is set to proceed with a new main event between Silva and Delgado that tops what is currently a 13-fight card.

Noche UFC 4 Fight Card

Main Event: Jean Silva vs. Jose Delgado

Manon Fiorot vs. Alexa Grasso

Brandon Moreno vs. Joseph Morales

Waldo Cortes-Acosta vs. Curtis Blaydes

Tim Elliott vs. Edgar Chairez

David Martinez vs. Dan Ige

JJ Aldrich vs. Regina Tarin

Ignacio Bahamondes vs. Muslim Salikhov

Drakkar Klose vs. Tommy Gantt

Tommy McMillen vs. Marwan Rahiki

Rafa Garcia vs. Rongzhu

Rodrigo Vera vs. Ramiro Jimenez

Yousri Belgaroui vs. Djorden Santos

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