Yair Rodriguez will not compete again in 2025.
According to a report from ESPN Deportes, the No. 3-ranked Featherweight contender and former interim champion underwent surgery on his left hand on Tuesday to treat a lingering problem. Rodriguez is likely to need 2-4 months of recovery before he’s even able to return to the gym, let alone start a training camp. An extremely optimistic timeline could see “Pantera” return in the first quarter of 2026, but a Q2 comeback feels much more likely.
It’s been
an interesting few months for Rodriguez, who was widely rumored to be fighting Alexander Volkanovski (again) for the Featherweight title at the Noche UFC event last month. When the planned venue changed from Mexico to Texas, however, the card shifted from a pay-per-view to a standard “Fight Night.” With that change, Rodriguez’s chance to fight for gold evaporated, and Featherweight kingpin Alexander Volkanovksi opted to wait before defending his belt.
Who knows where Rodriguez will stand in the Featherweight title mix when he does return next year?
In the cage, Rodriguez picked up his first win in two years in his sole appearance of 2025 against Patricio Pitbull. The 33-year-old striker picked apart the Brazilian veteran, landing lots of hard kicks and punches in one of his better performances in recent memory.
