UFC Mexico: Former Champion Returns In Pivotal Featherweight Fight

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.