Gilbert Burns plays matchmaker for Zabit Magomedsharipov after Yair Rodriguez injury

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Saiyed Adeem Karim

Zabit Magomedsharipov needs a new opponent after Yair Rodriguez picked up an ankle injury

Dana White confirmed that Zabit Magomedsharipov vs Yair Rodriguez was off for the 29 August event after Rodriguez picked up an ankle injury.

Zabit Magomedsharipov was expected to fight Yair Rodriguez next
Kyle Bochniak (L) and Zabit Magomedsharipov (R) congratulate each other after their featherweight bout at UFC 223 at Barclays Center on April 7, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Ed Mulholland/Getty Images)

Rodriguez’s back luck with injuries has continued for a while. He was to face Magomedsharipov at UFC 228 but was injured before that clash. White added that he wasn’t looking to push this fight back and instead was looking for another star to fill in.

While the UFC president continues to search, Gilbert Burns shared his thoughts on the clash. The No.1 contender for the Welterweight title decided to play matchmaker, and named one of the best Featherweights to take on the Russian.

“Playing Matchmaker: I think I will make Zabit vs Max I would love to watch that fight”

Max Holloway is a former Featherweight champion but lost both his rematches to Alexander Volkanovski.

However, the second clash was controversial as many believed that Holloway won that match.

A tough opponent for Zabit

The 29-year-old Zabit is one of the rising stars in the UFC and is currently 18-1 in his MMA career.

He is undefeated in the UFC and last fought Calvin Kattar. Zabit has defeated a few decent names but Holloway would be his biggest challenge in the UFC.

Max Holloway faces Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 251 next
UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway prepares for a title defense against Alexander Volkanovski during UFC 245 at T-Mobile Arena on December 14, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Steve Marcus/Getty Images)

Holloway, for his part, is considered as one of the best in the Featherweight division and some might say he should be the champion at the moment.

Rodriguez’s ankle injury could be a blessing in disguise for Zabit if he goes up against Holloway. However, it will be interesting to see if this does take place given that Holloway had fought against Volkanovski just a month back.

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