Featherweight striker Yair Rodríguez cut from the UFC:

News broke early Friday morning of the bizarre cutting of Featherweight striking sensation Yair 'El Pantera' Rodríguez from the Ultimate Fighting Championship by organisation head honcho Dana White. Rumours rumbled in the recent weeks of a planned 145lbs meeting between Mexico's Rodríguez and Russian prospect Zabit Magomedsharipov in a prospect versus prospect match up at UFC 227, and as late at last night, it was believed a bout agreement had been reached for a clash at this August's event. The claims were proven to be well wide of the mark come this morning.

According to White, speaking with the LA Times, Yair is currently out of a job: “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? He can go somewhere else. We have no use for him. He calls that fight fake news. This is real news.” 

The 25 year-old Ultimate Fighter victor was briefly linked to a meeting with the dangerous  constant contender Ricardo Lamas toward the tail end of 2017, with his most recent octagon appearance coming in May of that year, where he was systematically dismantled by the wrestling heavy Frankie Edgar, with orbital socket damage forcing a doctor stoppage at the end of the second round. It seems as if Dana has lost considerable patience with the talented kickboxer, considerable enough to release Yair.

As of yet, it's unknown whether both parties can come to some sort of agreement in terms of resigning, but as it stands, Yair Rodríguez is a free agent. Competition for his signature is sure to be rife from Scott Coker's Bellator.

Requests:markeyross198.RM@gmail.com

•Twitter: https://twitter.com/Ross_Markey

•Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RossMarkeyMMA/ - https://www.facebook.com/martialartschat/

•Check out my work with Severe MMA: http://severemma.com/author/rossmarkey/