The UFC featherweight division is all set to move forward, with top contenders colliding soon. Third-ranked Zabit Magomedsharipov and Yair Rodriguez would have fought at the August 29 UFC Fight Night. However, the company is set to shift the bout to the stacked UFC 254 card on October 24.
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This will disappoint the Russian fighter, who claimed that he had won when Rodriguez pulled out. He also said that he deserves the next shot at Alexander Volkanovski on the back of his lengthy undefeated streak.
‘ZaBeast‘ has claimed fourteen wins on the bounce and is undefeated for seven years. He left the United States and headed back to Russia earlier this month, which in retrospect seems to have been a misstep.
Had he stayed, he could have taken a fight against Calvin Kattar or Kyle Bochniak, who volunteered and staked his claim for the featherweight title.
Moreover, the UFC may be considering this step as a lot of the top contenders in the division are booked or have fought recently.
Yair Rodriguez will look to capitalize if the UFC postpones his bout
Rodriguez responded to the Russian fighter and said that he would wait like he always had done in the past. He seems to have gotten his wish and will have to back up his claims in a big way if the bout takes place on October 24.
Read: Yair Rodriguez Shuts Down Zabit Magomedsharipov- Asks Him to Wait Like a Dog
Rodriguez knows that a win over Magomedsharipov will see him move up the rankings. He has not tasted defeat since losing to Frankie Edgar in 2017.
However, ‘El Pantera‘ has made sporadic appearances since then. He beat ‘The Korean Zombie’ and featured in bouts against Jeremy Stephens.
The first bout got called off in fifteen seconds following an eye poke. Rodriguez won the quickly rearranged clash four weeks later. Now, another win could propel him up into title shot discussions alongside the likes of Brian Ortega and Chan Sung Jung.
What do you make of the UFC possibly moving the massive featherweight clash to UFC 254?
