Yair Rodriguez ‘F---ing Dying’ to Face Zabit Magomedsharipov: ‘His Moment Will Come’

Yair Rodriguez has been out of action since October 2019, but the featherweight contender has targeted some big fights for the second half of 2021.

Since besting Jeremy Stephens via unanimous decision at UFC on ESPN 6, Rodriguez has been forced to pull out of a proposed August 2020 booking against Zabit Magomedsharipov due to an ankle injury and was then suspended by USADA for a whereabouts violation that sidelined him until March.

The Mexican star told ESPN that he tried to find a silver lining in the extended layoff.

"I've been in contact sports since I was 5 years old," Rodriguez said. "I think at some point, my body was going to go through something like this, injury or something. I've never went through an injury like that before. I think it's been good for me to let my body heal and my mind heal.”

Rodriguez, who is currently training with Donald Cerrone at the BMF Ranch in New Mexico, believes that oft-targeted showdown with Magomedsharipov is inevitable. The two were also scheduled to meet at UFC 228 in September 2018, but that was also derailed by a Rodriguez injury.

"[Magomedsharipov] was talking a lot of crap, saying I didn't want to fight him and I was faking injuries and stuff like that," Rodriguez said. "Nobody does that. We're all here to fight anybody at any point. I'm sure I'll fight him at some point, no matter what. This is a fight that has to happen. I'm f---ing dying to fight him with all the crap he's talking about. His moment will come.”

“El Pantera” has lost just once in 10 UFC appearances, with notable wins over the likes of Stephens, Chan Sung Jung, B.J. Penn, Alex Caceres, Andre Fili and Dan Hooker to his credit. If Magomedsharipov is somehow unavailable, Rodriguez would jump at the opportunity to fight Max Holloway, who currently doesn’t have an opponent and would have to wait until Alexander Volkanovski and Brian Ortega conclude their “Ultimate Fighter” coaching duties and square off in the Octagon before he could get another title shot.

“I think that would be amazing. Max has earned all my respect, since I started fighting, before I got to the UFC. He is one of the best pound-for-pound in history. Who wouldn't like to fight him? That's how I see it. I would love to face him at some point, it would be amazing for my career and it would make my career grow."