Andre Fili vs. Yair Rodriguez Featherweight Clash Set for UFC 197

Sherdog.com StaffFeb 16, 2016

The fight card for UFC 197 continued to grow late Monday, as Ultimate Fighting Championship announced a featherweight matchup between Andre Fili and Yair Rodriguez.

The 145-pound bout was the third fight confirmed on Monday for the April 23 event, which takes place at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Also added were a women’s strawweight tilt pitting Jessica Aguilar against Juliana Lima and a light heavyweight duel between Marcos Rogerio de Lima and Clint Hester.

Fili will look to build upon a November victory which saw him knock out another rising Mexican star, Gabriel Benitez. The 25-year-old has alternated wins and losses in his five UFC outings, succumbing to submissions from Max Holloway and Godofredo Castro.

A former “The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America” winner, Rodriguez has found success in both of his post-“TUF” bouts. “Pantera” won his fourth straight in October, when he took a well-earned unanimous decision over Daniel Hooker at UFC 192.