Update On Fight Between Yair Rodriguez Vs. Zabit Magomedsharipov
A top fight that was set to end August for the UFC will no longer be taking place. According to UFC President Dana White, a bout between Yair Rodriguez and Zabit Magomedsharipov has once again been scrapped.
White would end up stating the announcement following the opening night of the latest season of the Contender Series. This comes after an initial report by Milenio that Rodriguez was injured. The fight card is expected to take place on August 29.
“Yeah, (he’s out),” White stated regarding Rodriguez, via MMA Fighting. “He had a high ankle sprain and a fracture. So he’s out. We’re looking for a replacement.”
While the UFC has yet to announce the fight as the main event, the two were expected to headline. According to Ariel Helwani, Calvin Kattar has offered to step up to face Magomedsharipov. This would be Kattar’s third fight of 2020, his last bout in July against Dan Ige.
An Ultimate Fighter: Latin America Featherweight Tournament winner, Rodriguez (13-2, 1 NC) made his debut with the promotion in 2014. He was on a six-fight win streak before losing to Frankie Edgar in 2017. He has since gone 2-0 with one no-contest. Following a last-second elbow to finish off Chan Sung Jung, Rodriguez fought Jeremy Stephens to a no-contest last September before beating him via unanimous decision a month later.
Magomedsharipov (18-1) is on a 14-fight win streak and is 6-0 in the UFC. A four-time bonus winner, Magomedsharipov last fought in November, beating Kattar via unanimous decision. He is ranked third in the UFC’s featherweight rankings.
This is the second time a fight between the two has been nixed, both because of Rodriguez. Set to compete in 2018, Rodriguez had to back out due to an injury.
The August 29 event will be taking place inside the UFC’s APEX Center. Set for the event is a light heavyweight bout between Anthony Smith and Aleksandar Rakic. It is unknown if that will be the main event or if something new can emerge from this scrapped bout.