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Yair Rodriguez isn’t happy about being pulled from Noche UFC, but he says it couldn’t be avoided.
Rodriguez was scheduled to headline the Sept. 12 show in Glendale against Jean Silva. Hardcore MMA fans were looking forward to the potential fireworks, but it wasn’t meant to be at this time. On Wednesday, Guilherme Cruz brought word that Rodriguez was removed from the event due to “undisclosed reasons.”
“El Pantera” has since taken to his Instagram page to confirm that he suffered an injury, and he will indeed be unable to compete inside Desert Diamond Arena.
“I got injured,” Rodriguez wrote. “I tried to continue my training, but in the end, it wasn’t responsible to compete under these conditions. I wanted this fight, and I know many of you did, too. Now my focus is on making a full recovery and coming back ready to compete at the level you expect from me—and that I expect from myself. Thank you to everyone who continues to support me. See you soon.”
This would’ve been a big opportunity for Rodriguez to reestablish himself as a top contender in the featherweight division. The former interim titleholder suffered key setbacks against Alexander Volkanovski and Brian Ortega, but he returned to form against former two-division Bellator champion Patricio “Pitbull” Freire back in April 2025.
Rodriguez has not competed since that fight, and he will be 34 years old when he’s ready to return to the Octagon. Meanwhile for Silva, he’ll now be facing Jose Delgado, who is a Dana White’s Contender Series alum. Silva will be looking to build off the momentum of his unanimous decision win over Arnold Allen earlier this year.
Do you still want to see Yair Rodriguez fight Jean Silva at some point, or would you rather move on from the matchup regardless of the outcome of Silva’s bout with Jose Delgado? Drop your opinion below.
This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM
