Zabit Magomedsharipov will still be booking a flight to Dallas to compete at UFC 228, as a replacement has reportedly (by Nolan King of MMA Kings) been found for Yair Rodriguez, and it is none other than Brandon Davis.
Brandon Davis is officially 1-2 in the UFC, not counting his victory over Austin Arnett on Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series. Davis is known for his stand-and-trade, gritty style that has already earned him the respect of many MMA fans. Most recently, Davis lost to Enrique Barzola by unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night: Maia vs. Usman in May. When the news of Rodriguez being pulled from the card first broke, Brandon Davis immediately threw his name in the hat for who would replace him:
You know I'm game @danawhite @seanshelby @ufc ?? https://t.co/74P2yClySs
— Brandon Davis (@BrandonDavisUFC) August 23, 2018
And earlier today, Davis confirmed the report that he would be competing at UFC 228 as the short-notice replacement:
Looks like I'll be seeing everyone in Dallas next weekend! ???#KillerB #UFC #UFC228 #ShortNotice
— Brandon Davis (@BrandonDavisUFC) August 28, 2018
This will, obviously, be a massive step up in competition for Davis, as Zabit Magomedsharipov is considered arguably the brightest prospect in the featherweight division and is currently on an 11-fight winning streak with an overall record of 15-1. The odds have not yet been released as of this writing, but there is a chance Zabit Magomedsharipov winds up giving Valentina Shevchenko a run for her money for the biggest favorite of the night.
With this replacement, here is the updated card for UFC 228:
UFC Welterweight Championship: Tyron Woodley © vs. Darren Till
UFC Women’s Flyweight Championship: Nicco Montano © vs. Valentina Shevchenko
Jessica Andrade vs. Karolina Kowalkiewicz
Zabit Magomedsharipov vs. Brandon Davis
Carla Esparza vs. Tatiana Suarez
John Dodson vs. Jimmie Rivera
Cody Stamann vs. Aljamain Sterling
Abdul Razak Alhassan vs. Niko Price
Charles Byrd vs. Darren Stewart
Diego Sanchez vs. Craig White
Jim Miller vs. Alex White
Ryan Benoit vs. Roberto Sanchez
Frank Camacho vs. Geoff Neal
Irene Aldana vs. Lucie Pudilova
UFC 228 takes place September 8th from the American Airlines Center in Dallas Texas live on pay per view.
