Dana White confirms Yair Rodriguez injured, out of fight vs. Zabit Magomedsharipov

Fight fans will have to wait longer than expected to see Yair Rodriguez vs. Zabit Magomedshariov.

In the midst of Dana White’s Contender Series on Tuesday, Mexican news outlet Milenio reported Rodriguez (13-2 MMA, 8-1 UFC) was out of the expected fight.

At the DWCS 27 post-event news conference, UFC president Dana White was asked about the report. White confirmed that Rodriguez is out of the matchup and cited an ankle injury as the reason why.

“He had a high ankle sprain and a fracture,” White said. “He’s out.”

While never announced by the UFC, White had hinted at it’s official booking in the past. Rodriguez vs. Magomedsharipov (18-1 MMA, 6-0) was rumored to take place as the promotion’s Aug. 29 main event.

White did mention the fight would not be pushed to a later date, but rather the UFC is actively looking for a replacement.

The Rodriguez vs. Magomedsharipov cancellation is not the first time the matchup has fallen apart. In 2018, the two featherweights were supposed to fight at UFC 228. However, Rodriguez suffered an injury and withdrew from the bout.

Rodriguez has only competed twice since November 2018 – both times fighting Jeremy Stephens. In the same stretch of time, Magomedsharipov defeated Jeremy Stephens and Calvin Kattar – both by unanimous decision.