Ex-UFC champion faces significant layoff following hand surgery

Originally posted on MMA on SI | By Drew Beaupre | Last updated Oct 22, 2025 12:17 PM ET

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Top-ranked UFC featherweight contender Yair Rodriguez will be sidelined for an extended period after undergoing hand surgery.

The UFC’s former interim featherweight titleholder was rumored to be in talks for a rematch with current UFC Featherweight Champion Alexander Volkanovski before those plans fizzled, and now fans are eagerly waiting for news of who Volkanovski will kick off his second title reign against.

Rodriguez is still very much in the mix for a featherweight title shot, but according to ESPN Deportes the 33-year-old will be out of action for several months at minimum following a recent surgery on his hand.

Yair Rodriguez Sidelined After Hand Surgery

Currently the UFC’s #3-ranked featherweight contender, Rodriguez is coming off a UFC 314 matchup with Patricio Pitbull that saw “El Pantera” give the former Bellator star a rude welcome to the Octagon when he defeated him via unanimous decision.

While the win looked to be a relatively comfortable one for Rodriguez, he did sustain some damage to his hand and initially put off surgery in the hopes that he might get a second undisputed title fight against Volkanovski. “The Great” relinquished the 145 lbs. belt to Ilia Topuria at UFC 298, but he reclaimed the division's vacant strap when he took a unanimous decision over Diego Lopes at UFC 314.

Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Rodriguez was stopped by the Volkanovski in their title unification bout at UFC 290. Following that loss, the 33-year-old was submitted by two-time title challenger Brian Ortega in their rematch at UFC Mexico City before he returned to the win column in his most recent outing against Pitbull.

Still No Clear Next Challenger For Alexander Volkanovski

He’ll likely be positioned for some sort of a number one contender bout once he’s ready to return, but Rodriguez could also conceivably be thrown right into a title fight depending on what happens with the featherweight belt during his injury layoff.

The only two featherweights currently ranked above Rodriguez are former title challenger Lopes and undefeated contender Movsar Evloev. Lopes rebounded from his loss to Volkanovski when he stopped Jean Silva at Noche UFC last month, while Evloev most recently took a unanimous decision over former bantamweight titleholder Aljamain Sterling at UFC 310.

Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Many fans are hopeful that Evloev will finally get his long-awaited shot at UFC gold next, but #4-ranked Lerone Murphy made a strong case for what would also be his first title opportunity when he brutally knocked out Aaron Pico with a spinning elbow at UFC 319.

This article first appeared on MMA on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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