Former UFC interim featherweight champion Yair Rodriguez is reportedly set to make his long-awaited return to the Octagon on March 29, when he takes on No. 3-ranked Diego Lopes in what seems to be the main event for UFC Mexico.
The fight report came from Home of Fight’s Jake Noecker on Friday, January 10, and was backed up by multiple sources, including MMA Hour’s Ariel Helwani later in the day.
The card is shaping up nicely, with the following seven fights reportedly locked in for the event:
- Featherweight: Diego Lopes vs. Yair Rodriguez
- Middleweight: Kelvin Gastelum vs. Joe Pyfer
- Men’s Flyweight: Edgar Chairez vs. CJ Vergara
- Men’s Flyweight: Ronaldo Rodríguez vs. Kevin Borjas
- Women’s Strawweight: Yazmin Jauregui vs. Julia Polastri
- Men’s Bantamweight: David Martinez vs. Saimon Oliveira
- Middleweight: Ateba Gautier vs. Jose Medina
Lopes had hoped to get a shot at the title in his next fight after he registered a unanimous decision victory over Brian Ortega at Noche UFC in September. Instead, it appears he’ll have to wait, as former champion Alexander Volkanovski is seemingly in position to get another crack at regaining his title against Ilia Topuria, perhaps in May.
Rodriguez has been out of action since February 2024, the last time the UFC was in Mexico. Rodriguez lost to Ortega via third-round submission. After what will be more than a year outside of the Octagon, Rodriguez, 32, will try to snap a two-fight losing streak and solidify his spot in the UFC featherweight Top 5.
He’ll likely come into the fight ranked No. 5 unless the UFC removes Max Holloway from the featherweight rankings, considering he has moved up to lightweight.
What’s Next For the UFC?
The weigh-ins for UFC Vegas 101 happened on Friday, January 10.
Two fighters (Jose Johnson and Ihor Potieira) missed weight but every fight remained on the card. Mackenzie Dern and Amanda Ribas will have their rematch nearly five years in the making in the main event. After losing in their 2019 clash via unanimous decision, Dern will look to settle the score.
Keep an eye on the explosive Abdul Razak Alhassan vs. Cesar Almeida. That fight has the potential to produce a spectacular KO. Also, the main roster debut of Austin Bashi is of interest.
Bashi is one of the top prospects from Season 8 of the Dana White Contender Series. Bashi faces a tough out in the featherweight division, Christian Rodriguez.
Here is a look at the card and the weigh-in results.
- Mackenzie Dern (116) vs. Amanda Ribas (116)
- Santiago Ponzinibbio (171) vs. Carlston Harris (170)
- Abdul Razak Alhassan (185.5) vs. Cesar Almeida (185.5)
- Chris Curtis (185.5) vs. Roman Kopylov (185.5)
- Christian Rodriguez (145) vs. Austin Bashi (145.5)
- Uros Medic (171) vs. Punahele Soriano (171)
- Jose Johnson (128.5)* vs. Felipe Bunes (126)
- Marco Tulio (185.5) vs. Ihor Potieria (188)*
- Thiago Moises (155.5) vs. Trey Ogden (155.5)
- Preston Parsons (171) vs. Jacobe Smith (170.5)
- Ernesta Kareckaite (126) vs. Nicolle Caliari (125.5)
- Magomed Gadzhiyasulov (205) vs. Bruno Lopes (205.5)
- Fatima Kline (116) vs. Viktoriia Dudakova (116)
- Nurullo Aliev (155.5) vs. Joe Solecki (155)
*Missed weight
UFC Vegas 101 happens at the Apex on Saturday, January 11. Be on the lookout for post-event coverage.
