September 13 will see the return of Noche UFC for the third year in a row.
While the highly anticipated featherweight main event between Diego Lopes and Jean Silva has stayed together, the card has gone through some big changes.
The most notable one being that the event will now take place at the Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas after it was moved from Guadalajara, Mexico due to venue issues.
Several fights have fallen off the card in the lead up to the event, with the likes of Raquel Pennington withdrawing from her bout with Norma Dumont.
Now, just over two weeks out from fight night, this year’s Noche UFC has taken another big hit.
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Raul Rosas Jr.’s matchup with Rob Font reportedly pulled from Noche UFC card
The co-main event on September 13 was set to feature one of the most exciting rising talents in the sport earning a shot at his first ranked opponent.
Since suffering his first loss in his second Octagon appearance in April of 2023, Raul Rosas Jr. has put together four consecutive wins at bantamweight.
The 20-year-old star competed at last year’s Noche UFC event and was set to feature in a much more prominent spot this time around.
Rosas Jr. was booked to face the #9-ranked Rob Font, who is currently riding the momentum of back-to-back wins over Jean Matsumoto and Kyler Phillips.
Font has only lost to the very best at 135 pounds, making this a big test and step up for Rosas Jr. in San Antonio.
Unfortunately, following an initial report from WristlockMMA, MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck reported that the bout is now off, adding that the UFC are looking to find a replacement for Font, though nothing has been secured as of yet.
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Noche UFC loses yet another Mexican star
One of the biggest setbacks as a result of some of the Noche UFC fight cancellations is that the card is now looking fairly light on Mexican stars.
Of course, Diego Lopes will still be headlining the card and representing both Brazil and Mexico, but Raul Rosas Jr. was a big part of this due to his heritage.
Another cancellation happened after Edgar Chairez, who also fought at last year’s Noche UFC, withdrew from his matchup with Alessandro Costa due to an injury.
Robt Font will hopefully remain in action against a different opponent, but this matchup felt like a particularly strong addition to this specific event.