The situation between the UFC and 25-year-old featherweight prospect Yair Rodriguez has just taken a very interesting turn.Rodriguez hasn't competed inside the Octagon since May of 2017 when he suffered the first loss of his UFC career. He was battered by Frankie Edgar for the first round of their fight so bad that the doctor forced the stoppage heading into round two.Since then the Mexican star has been healing up and waiting for a fight to return. It turns out the UFC has offered Rodriguez two fights since then. The first against Ricardo Lamas and the second against fellow 145-pound standout Zabit Magomedsharipov.
Enough Is Enough
As a result, UFC President Dana White grew frustrated with Rodriguez for refusing to accept a fight and released him from the UFC (quotes via MMA Junkie):
“The guy’s off a year, rejects a fight with Lamas, and then doesn’t want to fight a guy below him in the rankings?” White said at the time.
“He can go somewhere else. We have no use for him. He calls that fight fake news. This is real news.”
That decision was made earlier this month and received mixed reviews from the mixed martial arts (MMA) community.
Some criticized White for letting go of one of his most promising stars, while others supported the choice to release a fighter who was refusing to fight.
It now looks like Rodriguez and the UFC have mended their relationship, and the Mexican has been reinstated to the UFC and will be fighting very soon.
An Interesting Twist
Bret Okamoto of ESPN reports that Rodriguez's contract with UFC has been reinstated and he will be fighting Zabit Magomedsharipov at UFC 228 in September:
This is certainly an amazing turn of events considering White's initial reluctance to let Rodriguez slip away.
Either White and the UFC realized they were letting a gem walk away, or Rodriguez asked for his job back with the promotion and agreed to fight whoever they put in front of him.
MMA Junkie contacted Magomedsharipov's manager, Ali Abdelaziz, to get his reaction to the news:
“I don’t know if this is true, but if it is, I’m happy for Yair to get back where he deserves to be,” Abdelaziz said. “Zabit will fight anyone. It doesn’t matter.”
What are your thoughts on Rodriguez getting reinstated by the UFC and fighting Magomedsharipov in September? Let us know your thoughts on the matter in the comments section below!