Noche UFC main event: Jose Delgado to step in as replacement for Yair Rodriguez against Jean Silva

A big featherweight showdown was scheduled between Yair Rodriguez and Jean Silva to headline the Sept. 12 event, but Rodriguez has been forced out of the bout with injury, leading to Jose Delgado's insertion. Delgado (12-2) has scored wins over Andre Fili and Austin Bashi thus far in 2026. Those wins have run Delgado's UFC record to 4-1 since he earned a UFC contract with a knockout of Ernie Juarez on "Dana White's Contender Series" in 2024.

Delgado's lone UFC loss came to Nathaniel Wood by decision in October 2025, a fight for which Delgado missed weight. Silva sits at No. 6 in the UFC's media rankings. After winning his way into the UFC on Contender Series, Silva rattled off five consecutive wins in the Octagon, including four by knockout, before submitting Bryce Mitchell with an arm-triangle choke.

Silva suffered the first loss of his UFC career in 2025, when he was knocked out by a Diego Lopes spinning backfist in a thrilling UFC Fight Night main event. Silva rebounded from the Lopes loss by taking a hard-fought decision win over Arnold Allen at UFC 324, the first UFC event of the "Paramount Era." The rest of the fight card set for the event features some strong matchups, including Waldo Cortes-Acosta taking on Curtis Blaydes at heavyweight, and Manon Fiorot facing former women's flyweight champion Alexa Grasso.