Mexican featherweight contender Yair Rodriguez won Won TUF: Latin America in 2014, and then won five in a row earning four performances in the process. He appeared to be the next big little thing. Then “El Pantera” got TKO’d by Frankie Edgar in 2017, and was released briefly in 2018, reportedly for refusing fights. However, he returned 18 months after the loss with a KO win over Chan Sung Jung, winning Fight of the Night, and a performance bonus; it was a contender for KO of the ever.

Nearly a year passed, and a fight vs. Jeremy Stephens ended in a No Contest due to an accidental eye poke. The pair rematched on October 18, 2019, with Rodriguez winning a Unanimous Decision, and his fourth Fight of the Night in his nine UFC fights. Unfortunately, it has been over a year, with a fight planned for the summer vs. Zabit Magomedsharipov falling through due to an ankle injury. At Saturday’s post-fight press conference, UFC president Dana White said it’s going to be a while longer, and he’s not going to say why at this point.

“Have we not talked publicly about that?” White asked a matchmaker. “Why not? … I don’t think he’s going to fight soon. … We didn’t announce [why]. I don’t know why we didn’t, but yah. I don’t know what the deal is. It’s actually none of my business what’s going on there. So when it comes out, it will come out. … It’s none of our business. It’s none of the UFC’s business. When they figure it out, they will let us know.”

White said Rodriguez had not declined the offer to fight Magomedsharipov, noting that would be UFC business. So it’s not a contract dispute, and presumably not an injury, as that’s not private and is UFC business. Whatever it is will doubtless come out in time; unfortunately, meanwhile, the fans get no Yair Rodriguez.