Colby Covington praises Arman Tsarukyan following RAF 11 match: “You're gonna be the UFC lightweight champâ€
Credit: Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC
Former UFC interim featherweight champ Yair Rodriguez's long hiatus continues after he withdrew from the Noche UFC 4 main event.
Yair Rodriguez hasn't fought in almost two years since defeating former Bellator champion Patricio ‘Pitbull' Freire at UFC 314. Rodriguez, a former UFC interim featherweight champion, has dealt with injury issues during his hiatus, which have postponed his return to the Octagon.
Amidst a crowded UFC featherweight title picture, Rodriguez is one of the oft-forgotten contenders in the mix. He was briefly linked to a title rematch against Alexander Volkanovski following UFC 314, before negotiations fizzled out.
Excited fight fans learned of Rodriguez's scheduled return to the Octagon earlier this summer at the upcoming Noche UFC 4 event against Jean Silva. But weeks before the event, Rodriguez has reportedly withdrawn due to undisclosed reasons.
Yair Rodriguez vs. Jean Silva canceled; Silva set to face DWCS alum at Noche UFC
As first reported by MMA Fighting, Rodriguez and his team informed the UFC of his intention to withdraw from Noche UFC 4, and he will be replaced by Dana White's Contender Series alum Jose Delgado in the new main event booking.
Delgado will fight in his first career UFC main event booking after recent wins over Austin Bashi, Andre Fili, and Hyder Amil. He's won back-to-back fights since a unanimous decision loss to Nathaniel Wood in October.
Delgado's recent success in the featherweight division catapulted the talented prospect into the Top 15 (#14). Meanwhile, Silva returns after defeating Arnold Allen at UFC 324 earlier this year.
As of this writing, a timeline for Rodriguez's return to the Octagon remains uncertain. Noche UFC 4 includes the return of Alexa Grasso, Brandon Moreno, and other top Mexican-born talents.
Noche UFC 4 will take place at the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona.
What is your prediction for Jean Silva vs. Jose Delgado? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
Here’s your chance to get your questions in, early and often. Show will go live around 6-6:30-ish p.m. ET, depending on my fun day of travel. Fire away, and we’ll see you tomorrow.
Alexander
Volkanovski is brimming with confidence ahead of his next title
defense.
Volkanovski (28-4) is scheduled to defend his
Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight title against
Movsar
Evloev (20-0) at
UFC 333 on Oct. 24 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The Australian
champion believes he can deliver a career-best performance against
the undefeated Russian.
Alexander Volkanovski doubts Movsar Evloev can outgrapple him
for 25 minutes at UFC 333
Evloev has won all 10 of his UFC bouts by decision, but Volkanovski
doubts the challenger can outgrapple him for five rounds. “The
Great†believes Evloev would need to catch him with a decisive
strike to win.
“Trying to outgrapple me for 25 minutes, I can't see it,â€
Volkanovski told MMA Junkie. “I believe that the only chance that
any of these guys have is for them to catch me… If he thinks he can
beat me by decision or he thinks he can outgrapple me, I'm sure
he's gonna try, we'll see. I'm just very confident in my skills and
the fighter I still am… I think I can do it in pretty wild fashion.
I believe I can get a finish. I believe I can do it inside five… A
lot of people are going to go say after this fight, ‘Is that the
best Volk we’ve ever seen?'â€
Volkanovski first won the title against Max
Holloway in 2019 and defended it five times before losing to
Ilia
Topuria in 2024. He reclaimed the vacant championship against
Diego
Lopes last year after Topuria moved up to lightweight, then
defended it in their rematch in January.
Alexander
Volkanovski forecasts a spectacular finish of Movsar
Evloev at #UFC333. “I think I can do it in pretty wild fashion.
… A lot of people are going to go say after this fight, ‘Is that
the best Volk we’ve ever seen?'” (via @Farah_Hannoun)
https://t.co/YEnSuG15WK
Joaquin
Buckley remains undeterred after his third consecutive defeat
in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Buckley faced Mike Malott in the Canadian's home country at
UFC Edmonton on Saturday. Malott landed a knee in the second
round and followed with a punch before the referee stopped the
bout. Despite the setback, “New Mansa†remains optimistic about his
future.
Joaquin Buckley plans to document his rebuild after Mike
Malott’s UFC Edmonton knockout
Buckley won six straight fights before his current skid. He now
plans to livestream his efforts to rebuild, inviting fans to follow
the process.
“Right now, we rebuilding and I want y'all to see the process, not
just the results,†Buckley wrote in the caption of his postfight
Instagram post. “The highs, the lows, and everything it takes to
become who God called me to be.â€
In the accompanying video, Buckley said he wants to share his
training and introduce fans to his team.
“I realize that I want to document everything,†Buckley said. “I
want to document the process, I want to document the work, I want
to document the team. This is really just starting back over from
scratch; creating a new foundation and making something happen… I'm
not going to stop; I'm going to keep working. And I'll make sure
that everybody remembers that name.â€