Rodriguez Returns Against Garcia at UFC 335 in December

Yair Rodriguez has a date again. The former UFC interim featherweight champion meets No. 14 Steve Garcia at UFC 335 on Saturday, Dec. 12, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Garcia's seven-fight run

Garcia, 19-6, had won seven in a row, with victories over David Onama, Calvin Kattar and Chase Hooper. Six of those wins came by stoppage, and he picked up four Performance of the Night bonuses.

The streak ended in June at UFC Freedom 250, where Diego Lopes finished him in round two.

Beating a former interim champion could restore his momentum. It could also push him toward the division's Top 10.

Rodriguez and the long layoff

By December Rodriguez will have been away from competition for about 20 months. Injuries and layoffs have held the 33-year-old to eight appearances since the start of 2019.

He is 21-5 with one no contest. In September he was set to headline Noche UFC against Jean Silva, but he pulled out several weeks before the card with an injury.

His last fight was at UFC 314 in April 2025. He took a unanimous decision over Patricio Pitbull, who was making his UFC debut. It ended a two-fight skid that included stoppage losses to Alexander Volkanovski and Brian Ortega.

The rest of UFC 335

Garcia announced the matchup on Instagram. Rodriguez-Garcia sits fourth on the current list, behind Charles Oliveira against Diego Lopes, Sergei Pavlovich against Alex Pereira and Brandon Moreno against Charles Johnson.

Chase Hooper is booked against Chris Padilla, Baisangur Susurkaev against Damian Pinas, and Angela Hill against Shanelle Dyer. Carli Judice has no opponent named yet.

Source: MMA Mania