Yair Rodriguez Returns Against Garcia At UFC 335

Former UFC interim featherweight champion Yair Rodriguez will face No. 14-ranked Steve Garcia at UFC 335 on Dec. 12 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, according to MMA Mania. Garcia confirmed the booking on Instagram.

Rodriguez has been out since April 2025, when he defeated Patricio Pitbull by decision at UFC 314. The Mexican standout pulled out of a scheduled September bout against Jean Silva after suffering an injury. By fight night, he will have spent roughly 20 months away from competition. Injuries and long stretches between fights have held Rodriguez to just eight appearances since 2019.

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Garcia Looks To Bounce Back After Lopes Loss

Garcia enters off his first setback in nearly two years. Diego Lopes stopped him in the second round at UFC Freedom 250 in June, ending a seven-fight win streak that included victories over David Onama, Calvin Kattar, and Chase Hooper. Six of those seven wins came by finish, earning Garcia four performance bonuses along the way.

A win over Rodriguez would put Garcia back on track and likely push him into the featherweight top 10. Rodriguez, meanwhile, needs to prove he can stay healthy and regain the form that once carried him to an interim title shot.

🎟️ Get tickets: Buy tickets to UFC 335 on Ticketmaster →

UFC 335 is headlined by Charles Oliveira vs. Diego Lopes, with Alex Pereira facing Sergei Pavlovich in the co-main event. The card airs Dec. 12 from Las Vegas.

Reported via:

• MMA Mania — Violence! Yair Rodriguez returns against knockout artist Steve Garcia at UFC 335