A featherweight fireworks display heads to Sin City.
Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Interim Featherweight Champion Yair Rodriguez finally returns to games against all action, the 14th-ranked contender Steve Garcia at UFC 335 next month (Saturday, December 12, 2026) at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Garcia confirmed the meeting on Instagram.
Rodriguez (21-5, 1 NC) was slated to return Jean Silva in the Noche UFC main event in September. “El Pantera” however took out the card several weeks ago after sustaining an injury.
Mexican star haven’t raced since the spoiler Patricio Pitbull Anticipated UFC debut via unanimous decision at UFC 314 in April 2025. The win snapped Rodriguez’s two-fight losing streak, which included stoppages. Alexander Volkanovsky and Brian Ortega.
By the time UFC 335 arrives, Rodriguez will have spent roughly 20 months out of competition. Injuries and lengthy layoffs have repeatedly interrupted his run, limiting the 33-year-old to just eight appearances since the start of 2019.
Garcia (19-6) is looking to bounce back from a disappointing setback.
“Mean Machine’s” impressive seven-game winning streak was snapped in June when Diego Lopes knocked him out in the second round at UFC Freedom 250 (watch the highlights).
Garcia’s seven-game streak also included wins David Onama (watch the highlights), Calvin Cats and Chase Hooper. Six of those wins came by stoppage, while Garcia collected four.Night performance” bonuses on the way.
Now Garcia is getting arguably the biggest name of his career. A win over the former interim champion would immediately restore his momentum and potentially put him in the Top 10 of the division.
On paper, this chaos should last as long as it lasts.
UFC 335 currently looks like this:
Charles Oliveira vs. Diego Lopes
Sergey Pavlovich vs Alex Pereira
Brandon Moreno vs. Charles Johnson
Yair Rodriguez vs. Steve Garcia
Chase Hooper vs. Chris Padilla
Carli Judice Vs. TBD
Baisangur Susurkaev vs. Damian Pinas
Nikolay Veretennikov vs. Ronald Humphrey
Quentin Pasley vs Junior Tafa
Angela Hill vs Shanelle Dyer
Nilson Rojas vs. Roque Conceição
Jacqueline Cavalcanti vs. Michelle Montague
Click for a schedule of upcoming UFC events here.