Yair Rodriguez out of UFC Noche main event, Jean Silva gets new opponent

Yair Rodriguez has withdrawn from the main event of UFC Noche on September 12, forcing a last-minute reshuffle of the card's headline bout. Jean Silva will now face Jose Delgado in the newly arranged main event at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the situation. Rodriguez's reasons for the withdrawal were not disclosed.

Delgado enters the matchup riding a streak of recent success. The Arizona native, who holds a 12-2 record, has secured two consecutive UFC victories over Andre Fili and Austin Bashi earlier this year, performances that earned him recognition on the updated Meta UFC rankings. In his four UFC appearances, Delgado has won three, with his only setback coming against Nathaniel Wood in 2025. The main event assignment marks a career milestone for the local fighter.

Silva, sporting a 17-3 record, arrives on a positive trajectory of his own. The "Lord" most recently defeated Arnold Allen via decision in January, a comeback victory that followed a hard-fought title eliminator loss to Diego Lopes. His current UFC record stands at 6-1, punctuated by four performance bonuses. Silva will look to extend his recent momentum against Delgado.

Rodriguez, who holds a 20-5 record with one no contest, last competed in April 2025 when he defeated Patricio Pitbull by decision at UFC 314. That victory marked his first outing in over a year and ended a two-fight losing streak that included defeats to Alexander Volkanovski and Brian Ortega. The former interim champion's return to the win column came after an extended layoff from competition.