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 But weeks before the event, Rodriguez has reportedly withdrawn due to undisclosed reasons.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!
UFC 334 goes down this Saturday with two pretty damn intriguing title fights.
In the main event, undisputed* heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane goes for his first defense against, yes, one of the most talked-about fighters of 2026, the undefeated Josh Hokit. Folks, there’s a well-above zero chance that Hokit closes out the year as the UFC’s heavyweight king. Wowza.
Then you have the bantamweight matchup of destiny between champion Kayla Harrison and the GOAT herself Amanda Nunes. Where these two legends and the division go after UFC 334 is anybody’s guess, but this fight had to happen and it’s finally going down in Madison Square Garden.
So what’s your level of excitement as we kick off fight week?
Andre
Galvao is embracing a daunting challenge as he prepares to face
Rousimar
“Toquinho†Palhares at ACBJJ 23 on Nov. 13 in Rio de
Janeiro.
The Brazilian grappler will face Palhares in a rematch of their
2011 ADCC final, this time under rules that permit strikes to the
body.
Andre Galvao prepares for Rousimar Palhares at ACBJJ 23 under
rules allowing body strikes
Galvao, 44, told Sherdog that a renewed desire to compete and an
attractive offer from the promotion prompted his return. He
initially expected the rematch to follow the rules of their
previous encounter, but the format changed as plans developed.
“First they got my yes, then came the surprises,†Galvao said.
“Later on they told me it would be up to 100kg (220 pounds); then
that it would be nine minutes of fighting instead of seven; and
finally they informed me that punches and kicks would be
allowed.â€
The prospect of facing Palhares under those conditions concerned
some of Galvao's friends and students. However, the Atos Jiu-Jitsu
leader believes his MMA experience has prepared him for the
challenge.
“Several friends came to me and said, ‘You're crazy, coming back
right away against Toquinho and with strikes allowed?'†Galvao
recalled. “The fact is that since I built my career more in
Jiu-Jitsu and Grappling, the youngsters forget that I've already
had seven MMA fights, and during that period I was training with
champions like Anderson, Rafael Feijão and Ronaldo Jacare, so
taking punches isn't exactly something that scares me that
much.â€
Galvao nevertheless recognizes the threat Palhares poses.
“Toquinho is a monster, he's incredibly strong. I joke that I'm
prepared to face a monster on Friday the 13th,†Galvao said. “That
fight of ours in the ADCC final in London in 2011 is still
considered one of the best in history. I'm sure we're going to put
on another great fight and make history again.â€
Galvao won their first meeting 9-4 in the under-88-kilogram ADCC
final in Nottingham, England. Their rematch will headline ACBJJ 23
at Farmasi Arena.
Johnny
Walker's heavyweight run is going faster than he planned.
Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweights Sean Brady
and Gabriel
Bonfim were originally scheduled to headline
UFC Vegas 124 on Nov. 7 at Meta Apex in Las Vegas. However,
Brady pulled out because of a severe staph infection and the
promotion didn't book a replacement to keep Bonfim on the card.
Walker then accepted the headlining matchup against Waldo
Cortes-Acosta on nine days' notice.
What a victory over Waldo Cortes-Acosta could mean for Johnny
Walker
Walker (23-10, 1 NC) made his heavyweight debut against Mick Parkin
in October, scoring a bonus-winning first-round knockout. The
former light heavyweight recently revealed he originally wanted to
take things slow in his new weight class.
“I was thinking to take small steps and go slow in the division,â€
Walker said at media day ahead of UFC Vegas 124. “See how I feel at
heavyweight. That was my plan. God had different plans than me. God
has better plans for me.â€
Cortes-Acosta (17-4) was riding a three-fight win streak before
losing to Alexander
Volkov and Curtis
Blaydes this year. A win over “Salsa Boy†will launch Walker
into the heavyweight Top 10 in just his second appearance in the
division.