Rodriguez withdrawal hands Delgado first UFC main event at Noche UFC on home soil

Jose Delgado will replace Yair Rodriguez as Jean Silva’s opponent in the Noche UFC main event on September 12 at the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona, after Rodriguez withdrew from the card for undisclosed reasons, multiple sources with knowledge of the situation confirmed.

Delgado (12-2) earns his first UFC main event slot on less than a month’s notice, and does so in his native Arizona. The featherweight has been in strong form in 2025, picking up wins over Andre Fili and Austin Bashi to cement his place in the UFC rankings. His only defeat across five UFC appearances came against Nathaniel Wood earlier this year.

Silva (17-3) enters the bout looking to build on a decision win over Arnold Allen in January, a result that helped him recover from a title-eliminator loss to Diego Lopes. Known as “Lord,” the Brazilian holds a 6-1 UFC record and has collected four performance bonuses during his time in the promotion.

Rodriguez (20-5, 1 no contest) has not competed since April 2025, when he defeated Patricio Pitbull by decision at UFC 314 — his first outing in over a year and the result that snapped a two-fight losing run against Alexander Volkanovski and Brian Ortega. The former interim featherweight champion has not given a public reason for his withdrawal.

Noche UFC, the promotion’s annual celebration of Mexican Independence Day, now has a new headline matchup with Delgado and Silva set to deliver a featherweight contest that carries genuine divisional implications for both fighters.