Well, after all of the drama to get the fight signed, Yair Rodriguez still won’t be fighting Zabit Magomedsharipov at UFC 228.
With just two weeks to go until fight night, Rodriguez has been forced to withdraw from the contest through injury. MMAbrasil first reported the news.
It’s believed the UFC are seeking a replacement in order to keep Magomedsharipov on the card.
It’s a cruel irony for Rodriguez. Earlier, the young up and comer was released from his UFC contract after he initially declined to fight fellow featherweight Magomedsharipov. Eventually, he and the promotion overcame their disagreement, and the bout was signed, and early on was touted as a likely entertaining scrap.
Unsurprisingly, Magomedsharipov was unhappy with the news.
@panteraufc if you injured or not im fighting regardless so get your mind prepared for a battle. Im going to fight someone in September and I will fight you in November or December. No more running @seanshelby @danawhite
— ZabitMagomedsharipov (@zabit_mma) August 23, 2018
UFC 228’s card now looks as follows:
Main Card
Tyron Woodley (c) vs. Darren Till
Nicco Montaño (c) vs. Valentina Shevchenko
Jéssica Andrade vs. Karolina Kowalkiewicz
Carla Esparza vs. Tatiana Suarez
Preliminary Card (FX)
Aljamain Sterling vs. Cody Stamann
Charles Byrd vs. Darren Stewart
Abdul Razak Alhassan vs. Niko Price
Jimmie Rivera vs. John Dodson
Early Preliminary Card (UFC Fight Pass)
Diego Sanchez vs. Craig White
Jim Miller vs. Alex White
Irene Aldana vs. Lucie Pudilova
Ryan Benoit vs. Roberto Sanchez
Geoff Neal vs. Frank Camacho
