There’s Sam and Diane, and there’s the UFC and Yair. One made for great entertainment, and it wasn’t the featherweight prospect and his employer squabbling.
The on-again, off-again saga between the UFC and Yair Rodriguez continues. After the UFC cut the featherweight star for refusing the fight Zabit Magomedsharipov last month, a new report by ESPN’s Brett Okamoto has unveiled that the Mexican star is back in the fold. Not only that, but he’s likely to feature on UFC 228 taking on the very same Zabit he allegedly refused to fight in the first place.
BREAKING: The Yair Rodriguez/UFC situation has apparently done a 180. Rodriguez vs. Zabit Magomedsharipov is now verbally agreed to for UFC 228 in September.
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) June 1, 2018
So, was this simply a case of UFC President Dana White playing hardball while negotiating via the media?
In any case, it puts a damper on the plans of other promotions to sign the South American fighter, who would have easily drawn big numbers for Bellator, Combate Americas, or others. Rodriguez (10–2) instantly became the hottest free agent on the market after the UFC released him a few weeks back, a development first reported on by the L.A. Times’ Lance Pugmire. Per Okamoto, however, the UFC has reinstated the featherweight.
I'm told UFC is rescinding its termination letter to Yair Rodriguez, essentially reinstating his contract. The Magomedsharipov fight is not signed yet, but is UFC 228 on Sept. 8. No location finalized for that event.
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) June 1, 2018
Rodriguez has not fought since UFC 211 just over a year ago, where he lost to Frankie Edgar in a match that in hindsight was simply too much, too soon. While UFC 228 has no official location or main event, if the Magomedsharipov fight does become official, it will likely play a key role. Both fighters have the potential to become major stars down the road for the promotion.
