Featherweight fight between Andre Fili and Yair Rodriguez makes way to UFC 197

A pair of young featherweight prospects are set to meet in the latest addition to April’s UFC 197 lineup.

Andre Fili (15-3 MA, 3-2 UFC) will take on Yair Rodriguez (6-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) on the card in “Sin City.” UFC officials recently announced the new booking.

UFC 197 takes place April 23 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on FOX Sports 1 and UFC Fight Pass. The card features a pair of title fights at the top of the bill. Light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier fights nemesis and former champ Jon Jones in the main event, and flyweight titleholder Demetrious Johnson puts his belt on the line for the eighth time when he meets Olympic gold medal winner Henry Cejudo in the co-feature.

Fili, a Team Alpha Male fighter, started his career 13-1, including a TKO win over Jeremy Larsen in his promotional debut at UFC 166 in October 2013. But he’s alternated wins and losses in the promotion. At UFC 172, he was submitted by the highly ranked Max Holloway in the third round.

He rebounded with a decision win over Felipe Arantes at UFC 179 in Brazil, but then was choked out by Godofredo Pepey’s bonus-winning flying triangle in Rio de Janeiro 11 months ago. But he got back on track this past November by knocking out Gabriel Benitez in Mexico with a head kick, winning his own “Performance of the Night” bonus. He’ll be looking for his first winning streak in the UFC.

Rodriguez, who won the first season of “The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America,” improved to a perfect 3-0 in the UFC when he took a unanimous decision from Dan Hooker at UFC 192 in Houston this past October. Prior to that, his two UFC wins came in his native Mexico – a split call over Charles Rosa at UFC 188 in June 2015 and a decision over Leonardo Morales at UFC 180 in November 2014 to win the “TUF” crown.

With the addition, the latest UFC 197 card includes:

• Champ Daniel Cormier vs. Jon Jones – for light heavyweight title
• Champ Demetrious Johnson vs. Henry Cejudo – for flyweight title
• Rafael Natal vs. Robert Whitaker
• Jessica Aguilar vs. Juliana Lima
• Clint Hester vs. Marcos Rogerio de Lima
• Andre Fili vs. Yair Rodriguez

For more on UFC 197, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.