Max Holloway will not be fighting Yair Rodriguez on July 17.
According to ESPN Deportes, Holloway is out of the main event due to suffering an injury in camp. It’s uncertain what the injury is or how severe it is. The hope is the UFC will find a replacement to fight Rodriguez on July 17.
Max Holloway (22-6) was coming off a dominant win over Calvin Kattar on Fight Island to get back into the win column after back-to-back losses to Alexander Volkanovski. Although he’s out of his fight against Rodriguez, there is still a very good chance his next fight will be for the belt as he is the number one contender.
Yair Rodriguez (13-2 and one No Contest) is returning to the Octagon for the first time since October of 2019 when he defeated Jeremy Stephens by decision. He had been linked to a fight with Zabit Magomedsharipov but that didn’t come to fruition. The Mexican was also suspended by USADA for failing to disclose his location on three separate occasions.
It is no doubt disappointing news for everyone involved as had Rodriguez won, he would’ve earned himself a title shot. For Holloway, it was a chance to stay busy and further cement his case as the number one contender. Although the Hawaiian is out of the bout, there still are several options to fight Rodriguez like Edson Barboza, Arnold Allen or Giga Chikadze.
Who would you like to see Yair Rodriguez fight now that Max Holloway is out of their scrap?
