Yair Rodriguez has been forced out of his highly anticipated Noche UFC main event against Jean Silva after suffering an injury during his preparation.
Rodriguez confirmed the withdrawal in a statement, explaining that he tried to continue training but ultimately decided it would not be responsible to compete under the circumstances.
“I got injured. I tried to continue with my preparation, but ultimately it wouldn’t have been responsible to compete under these conditions,” Yair Rodriguez said.
“I wanted this fight, and I know many of you did too. Now my job is to fully recover and come back prepared to compete at the level you expect from me and that I expect from myself.”
Jose Delgado Steps In to Replace Yair Rodriguez
With Yair Rodriguez out, Jose Delgado will step in to face Jean Silva in the Noche UFC main event.
Delgado owns a 12-2 professional record and has won nine of his last 10 fights, making him one of the more intriguing prospects to emerge from the featherweight division.
The 28-year-old earned his UFC contract on Season 8 of Dana White’s Contender Series in August 2024, delivering a spectacular R2 stoppage against Ernie Juarez with a knee to the head.
Delgado quickly followed that performance with consecutive first-round stoppage victories over Connor Matthews and Hyder Amil in February and June 2025.
Delgado suffered the only loss of his professional career against Nathaniel Wood at UFC 321 in October 2025, dropping a unanimous decision after missing weight. He quickly bounced back, securing consecutive victories over Andre Fili in March 2026 and Austin Bashi in July 2026.
The opportunity against Silva now represents the biggest fight of Delgado’s career. While Rodriguez was originally expected to headline against Silva, Delgado will attempt to capitalize on the late opportunity and announce himself as a serious contender in the division.
Jean Silva thanks Hunter Campbell for New Opponent
Jean Silva was never worried despite the Yair Rodriguez pullout.
After Hunter Campbell saved the UFC Noche headliner and Silva vs Jose Delgado was made official, ‘Lord’ posted:
“Hunter took care of everything, we have a new target. New opponent, same date, same goal 🐺 #ufcnoche”
Silva originally had his sights set on a fight with UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski, but Movsar Evloev currently appears to be the clearest contender in line for the next title opportunity.
However, if Silva delivers a statement victory over Delgado at Noche UFC and strengthens his case considerably, a championship opportunity could become difficult for the UFC to overlook.
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