Yair Rodriguez has pulled out of his next fight, set to take place on August 29. He withdrew from the match citing a fractured ankle. Since third-ranked flyweight contender Zabit Magomedsharipov is now without an opponent, he elected to call out the champion, Alexander Volkanovski.

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In his post, ‘ZaBeast’ acknowledged that the scrapped fight served as a title eliminator, which he won even without fighting. 

As presumed, these claims haven’t gone down well with ‘El Pantera’, who took to Instagram to slam the Dagestani fighter. Additionally, he provided fans with a timeline on when he could be back to compete in the UFC. 

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On Instagram, the fifth-ranked featherweight wrote, “(Zabit Magomedsharipov) Sit down and wait for me the way you have been waiting. You will get a real good taste of my big Mexican ba**s soon enough. And since when did you become the sh*t talker? That you or your manager? Either way, you’ll both wait for me like the little dogs you are. Tongue out and begging. I’ll see you in October-November 5 rounds”

Read: Zabit Magomedsharipov Calls Out Alexander Volkanovski After Cancellation of Fight

These comments also served as a response to Zabit’s tweet, where he claimed that Rodriguez has no ba**s and the UFC is playing games. 

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Read: “You Wouldn’t Fight 5 Rounds With Us”- Calvin Kattar’s Coach Taunts Zabit Magomedsharipov

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Will the UFC make Zabit Magomedsharipov wait to fight Yair Rodriguez?

It remains to be seen if ‘ZaBeast’ will consent to wait, considering that he last competed in November 2019. On that night, he took down Calvin Kattar via unanimous decision. 

Furthermore, UFC President Dana White revealed that the promotion is actively pursuing an opponent to headline the August 29 main event with Magomedsharipov.

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Featherweight fighters have taken to social media to pitch for the fight. These include Calvin Kattar, whose coach Tyson Chartier called for the fight at the end of the month.

Read: “Let Me Put on Another Show for You” – Surprising Name Comes Forward to Fight Zabit Magomedsharipov on August 29

Additionally, one of Magomedsharipov’s old opponents, Kyle Bochniak, tweeted his readiness to step into the cage on August 29. He is unranked at present and may not be on the fighter’s agenda unless all the other higher ranked opponents pull out. 

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Do you see the UFC taking Yair Rodriguez seriously and postponing his fight till November? Or will they go ahead and secure a new opponent to take on Zabit Magomedsharipov?  

Sources: Yair Rodriguez- Instagram,

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Reubyn Coutinho

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Reubyn Coutinho is the Head of Fact-Checking Initiatives and Content Quality Lead at EssentiallySports, where he oversees editorial quality across multiple sports verticals. A Communication graduate, he’s spent over five years shaping the site’s evolution from a niche sports blog into an all-in-one news platform, mentoring more than 110 journalists, introducing data-driven article improvements, and developing editorial guidelines for global audiences. Across his career at ES, Reubyn has worked as a writer, editor, and senior editor, covering everything from UFC, WWE, and boxing to F1, NFL, NBA, and tennis. His bylines include exclusive interviews with former UFC champions Demetrious Johnson and Miesha Tate, as well as combat sports stars Marcus Almeida and Sage Northcutt. Known for his meticulous eye, he regularly resolves headline debates, revisits trending pieces using live analytics, and sets the standard for high-quality sports reporting. Outside of sports media, Reubyn is an active film critic, contributing reviews and festival coverage to Netflix Junkie, where he’s covered events such as MAMI, Venice, and NYAFF. Whether he’s breaking down a championship fight or a Hitchcock classic, his work comes with deep research with a pure love for sport.

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