UFC Confirms Massive Main Event for Noche UFC 4 Fight Card

A massive featherweight fight will officially serve as the headlining attraction for the latest edition of Noche UFC.

Scheduled to take place at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, AZ on September 12, this year’s Noche UFC will mark the fourth consecutive year that the UFC has held a dedicate event to celebrate Mexican Independence Day.

Last year’s Noche UFC at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, TX closed out with Diego Lopes’ second-round finish of fellow top featherweight Jean Silva, who is officially set to return to the Noche UFC stage on September 12.

Jean Silva vs. Yair Rodriguez Headlines Noche UFC 4

Following several weeks of rumors regarding the fight, the UFC confirmed today that Noche UFC 4 will be headlined by a featherweight matchup between Silva and the division's former interim titleholder Yair Rodriguez.

¡Vamos! 🇲🇽@PanteraUFC & @JeanSilvaMMA96 will duel in the desert at #NocheUFC!

[ LIVE SEPT 12 on @ParamountPlus ] pic.twitter.com/VUCr9FFa6B
— UFC (@ufc) August 4, 2026

A member of Brazil’s “Fighting Nerds” team, Silva brought a lengthy win streak into his Dana White’s Contender Series bout with Kevin Vallejos in 2023 and secured a UFC contract with a unanimous decision victory.

Following the win over Vallejos, Silva established himself as a fan favorite when he stopped five-straight opponents and secured three-straight post-fight bonuses for the latter three victories on that winning run.

Jean Silva during UFC 303 at T-Mobile Arena. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The stretch of victories set Silva up for his Noche UFC meeting with Lopes, which took home “Fight of the Night” honors and earned Lopes a second crack at the UFC featherweight belt after he stopped Silva in the second round.

Arnold Allen (red gloves) fights Jean Silva (blue gloves) during UFC 324 at T-Mobile Arena. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“Lord” returned to action in January at UFC 324, where he took a unanimous decision over featherweight staple Arnold Allen as part of the event’s main card.

Yair Rodriguez Finally Gets to Fight on Noche UFC Card

Now sitting at #6 in the Meta UFC featherweight rankings, Silva will try to put himself in line for a title shot when he takes on Rodriguez at Diamond Desert Arena.

The featherweight winner The Ultimate Fighter Latin America Season 1, Rodriguez won the interim UFC featherweight belt in 2023 when he submitted Josh Emmett in the co-main event of UFC 284.

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

“El Pantera” was knocked out in a title unification bout with Volkanovski before was submitted by Brian Ortega in a rematch of their 2022 meeting, but the 33-year-old returned to the win column at UFC 314 when he took a unanimous decision over former Bellator star Patricio Pitbull.

Mexico’s Rodriguez has yet to compete on a Noche UFC card since the UFC began holding the events in 2023, and the matchup with Silva presents a major chance for him to vault back into the featherweight title picture given that he’s currently #5 in the media rankings but unranked in the Meta Top 15 for the division.

Noche UFC 4 Fight Card

Main Event: Yair Rodriguez vs. Jean Silva

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

Kelvin Gastelum vs. Yousri Belgaroui

Ignacio Bahamondes vs. Muslim Salikhov

Drakkar Klose vs. Tommy Gantt

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