GETTY Yair Rodriguez has been cut by the UFC

Rodriguez, one of the most dynamic strikers at 145lbs, hasn’t set foot inside the Octagon since his UFC 211 loss to Frankie Edgar, who stopped his eight-fight win streak by registering a second-round TKO victory. The UFC were hopeful of having the Mexican return to the cage at UFC 227, which takes place in California on August 4. Rodriguez was offered fights with fellow striker Zabit Magomedsharipov and Ricardo Lamas but declined them both. And his decision to do so has prompted UFC president Dana White to give him his marching orders.

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"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?" White asked during an interview with Lance Pugmire of the LA Times. "He can go somewhere else. We have no use for him. "He calls that fight (against Magomedsharipov) fake news. This is real news."

He can go somewhere else. We have no use for him. Dana White on Yair Rodriguez

According to White, the UFC brass informed Rodriguez of his firing via a letter. The 25-year-old has yet to comment on his dismissal from mixed martial arts' premier promotion, which has come as a shock to many fans. Chihuahua native Rodriguez made his UFC debut in November 2014 at UFC 180, defeating Leonardo Morales to win The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America featherweight tournament.

GETTY Dana White cut Yair Rodriguez because he turned down a fight with Zabit Magomedsharipov

‘El Pantera’ then went on to rattle off five consecutive victories before locking horns with Edgar, who handed him his second professional loss. Rodriguez’s most notable win came in January 2017 when he defeated UFC Hall of Famer BJ Penn via second-round TKO. Defeat to Edgar last May well and truly derailed Rodriguez’ pursuit of the featherweight title, which could've got back on track had he faced Magomedsharipov or Lamas.

GETTY Yair Rodriguez's last outing in the UFC saw him suffer a second-round TKO loss to Frankie Edgar