EXCLUSIVE! Jean Silva suspects Yair Rodriguez's plan after leaving Noche UFC: 'Nothing will change my mind'

Jean Silva celebrates his UFC victory. Photo: Reproduction/Facebook/UFC

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Jean Silva wasn't surprised by Yair Rodriguez 's withdrawal before Noche UFC . The Fighting Nerds representative was scheduled to face 'El Pantera' in the main event, set for September 12th, but saw his opponent replaced by prospect José Miguel Delgado. A change that, according to the Brazilian, may have been planned.

In an exclusive interview with reporter Renan Campos of SUPER LUTAS , Jean Silva revealed that he had expected Yair Rodriguez to withdraw from the fight, although he believed it would happen sooner. The Brazilian also raised the possibility that the Mexican had already contacted José Miguel Delgado to have him on standby should a replacement be necessary.

“I already expected Yair Rodriguez to pull out of the fight, but with more time, you know. I can't shake the feeling that he was already in contact with the guy there (José Miguel Delgado) saying: 'Hey, get ready, the UFC will probably call you'. That's part of his repertoire. But I hope he wasn't seriously injured,” said Jean Silva.

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Jean Silva also explained that, due to the limited time to study his new opponent, his team decided to focus their preparation primarily on his own fighting style. The Brazilian stated that the analysis took into account situations in which he and his team had already been in Delgado's position, allowing them to anticipate possible behaviors from the prospect and determine how to act during the fight.

“For this fight, the most important study was on myself. We analyzed Delgado, but we had little time and we said: Now the best thing to do is to study ourselves. How did we behave when we were in his place? Then we already know more or less what we're going to do,” Lord concluded.

Jean Silva returns to Noche UFC.

Diego defeats Jean in the UFC. Photo: Reproduction/Facebook/UFC

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This will be Jean Silva 's second appearance at Noche UFC , an event celebrating Mexican independence. In his first appearance, in September 2025, 'Lord' faced Diego Lopes in a fight surrounded by controversy and provocations, but ended up being defeated by knockout in the second round.

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