Yair Rodriguez explains why he withdrew from the fight against Jean Silva in the UFC and laments the cancellation: 'I wanted to'

Yair Rodriguez promotes UFC event. Photo: Reproduction/Facebook/YairRodriguez“El Pantera”

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It didn't take long for Yair Rodriguez to speak out after the cancellation of the highly anticipated and important fight against Jean Silva , valid for the featherweight division (up to 65,8 kg). The Mexican was scheduled to face the member of the 'Fighting Nerds' academy at Noche UFC , an event scheduled to take place on September 12th in Arizona (USA), but ended up letting down the company and his opponent, angering fans. Therefore, the athlete opened up about what happened.

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On his official Instagram account, Yair, who hasn't fought since April 2025, explained that he suffered an injury and, consequently, couldn't continue training to face the Brazilian. It's worth noting that the Mexican already has a history of canceling fights due to injuries during preparation, and has even become a joke.

So much so that many MMA fans and professionals claim it's only a matter of time before 'El Pantera' retires from fighting and that they'll only believe it's happening when he steps into the octagon. In any case, Rodriguez lamented missing another fight and vowed to bounce back and prove his worth as a fighter.

“I suffered an injury. I tried to continue my preparation, but ultimately, it wouldn't be responsible to compete under these conditions. 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 of me and that I expect of myself. Thank you to everyone who continues to support me. See you soon,” he wrote.

Yair at a UFC event. Photo: Reproduction/Facebook/UFC

Yair Rodriguez's history in MMA

Yair Rodriguez , 33, is one of the best featherweight fighters, but constantly suffers from injuries. So much so that the Mexican, a former title challenger in the division, has fallen out of the UFC rankings. 'El Pantera' began his MMA career in 2011 and debuted in the company in 2014.

In this discipline, the athlete built a record of 20 wins, five losses, and one 'no contest' (no result). His main victories were over BJ Penn , Brian Ortega , Dan Hooker , Josh Emmett , Patrício Pitbull , and Korean Zombie.

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