Report | Zabit Magomedsharipov has been offered a fight Yair Rodriguez

Rising Russian featherweight Zabit Magomedsharipov, who is one of the flashiest fighters on the UFC roster today, has reportedly been offered a bout with a fighter who is cut from the same cloth: Mexico’s Yair Rodriguez. The bout is reportedly being discussed for the UFC’s September debut in Moscow, Russia.

This news comes from Dennis Geyko of RTSport.

https://twitter.com/DenisGeykoRT/status/989178260067110912

When we last saw Magomedsharipov in action, he partook in one of the best fights of the year thus far, thumping a tough Kyle Bochniak to a unanimous decision victory. With this win, the dangerous Russian finisher improved to 15-1 overall. Having submitted Mike Santiago and Sheymon Moraes in his first two bouts in the Octagon, he now owns a flawless UFC record of 3-0.

Rodriguez, meanwhile, has been out of action for a year, having not fought since he was beaten to a doctor stoppage by Frankie Edgar in May of 2017. This loss was Rodriguez’s first in the Octagon. It was preceded by impressive Octagon defeats of Leonardo Morales, Charles Rosa, Dan Hooker, Andre Fili, Alex Caceres, and most recently, our own BJ Penn. Rodriguez is 10-2 overall and 6-1 in the UFC.

At this time, not much else is known about the UFC’s September debut in Russia, though undefeated lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov has repeatedly been linked to the event — perhaps for his first title defense. That said, Nurmagomedov has said more recently that he won’t be available to fight again until November or December.

Does a fight between Zabit Magomedsharipov and Yair Rodriguez interest you?

This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 4/25/2018.