Credit: Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC
Former interim UFC featherweight champion Yair Rodriguez’s next opponent announced his return for UFC 335.
After Alexander Volkanovski’s recent featherweight title defense over Movsar Evloev, many top featherweights make intriguing cases for the next title shot. Former UFC bantamweight champ Aljamain Sterling and surging contender Kevin Vallejos will battle for a potential title shot at UFC Qatar later this month.
One forgotten name in the mix is former interim titleholder Yair Rodriguez, who hasn’t fought since a decisive win over Patricio ‘Pitbull’ Friere at UFC 314. Rodriguez was scheduled to fight Jean Silva at Noche UFC earlier this year before withdrawing due to injury.
According to his next potential opponent, Rodriguez’s return is back on the docket for the final major UFC card in 2026.
Yair Rodriguez’s return announced by UFC 335 opponent
In a recent Instagram post, UFC featherweight contender Steve Garcia announced his return against Rodriguez at UFC 335.
“We locking in for another one before the end of the year,” Garcia claimed.
“El Pantera vs. Mean Machine. This is must-see TV.”
As of this writing, the UFC hasn’t announced Rodriguez vs. Garcia for UFC 335. The card is headlined by a BMF title fight between Charles Oliveira and Diego Lopes.
If the fight comes to fruition, Garcia will look to get back on track after a knockout loss to Lopes earlier this year at UFC Freedom 250. Before the loss to Lopes, Garcia won seven consecutive fights, including wins over Calvin Kattar and David Onama.
After Volkanovski reclaimed the UFC featherweight title by defeating Lopes at UFC 314, Rodriguez was rumored to be Volkanovski’s next opponent. Rodriguez lost to Volkanovski in their undisputed UFC featherweight title fight at UFC 290.
Rodriguez vs. Garcia is expected to add to the fireworks of a stacked card at UFC 335.
What is your prediction for Yair Rodriguez vs. Steve Garcia? Share your thoughts in the comments!
This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM
