It’s official: this year’s Noche UFC card will be headlined by Jean Silva and Yair Rodriguez, and it’s set for Glendale, Arizona this September.
And, in another showing of the booking power of TKO Group, parent company of the UFC and World Wrestling Entertainment, the WWE Royal Rumble will also be held in Arizona next February, at State Farm Stadium.
Promotion officials announced the news in a recent press release.
Set for September 12, 2026 at the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, NZ, Noche UFC is designed to honor Mexican independence and the country’s fighting spirit, though the promotion has yet to actually host the event in Mexico. An attempt to do so last year faltered when a Guadalajara venue wasn’t ready in time, leading the card to shift to San Antonio, TX.
Noche UFC/UFC 306 in 2024, meanwhile, was held at The Sphere in Las Vegas, to rave reviews.
Headliners Jean Silva (17-3) and Yair Rodriguez (20-5, 1NC) join previously announced match-ups featuring former Mexican UFC champions Alexa Grasso and Brandon Moreno. The Rodriguez booking, however, has left some scratching their heads, given the obvious rivalry between “El Pantera” and Diego Lopes that has developed over the past few years.
The following match-ups have been reported for this year’s Noche UFC card:
- Yair Rodriguez vs. Jean Silva
- Manon Fiorot vs. Alexa Grasso
- Waldo Cortes-Acosta vs. Curtis Blaydes
- Brandon Moreno vs. Joseph Morales
- Tim Elliott vs. Edgar Chairez
- David Martinez vs. Dan Ige
- Kelvin Gastelum vs. Yousri Belgaroui
- Ignacio Bahamondes vs. Muslim Salikhov
- JJ Aldrich vs. Regina Tarin
- Drakkar Klose vs. Thomas Gantt
