Yair Rodriguez denies refusing multiple fights before UFC release

Yair Rodriguez isn't holding a grudge against the UFC, but he has a few things to clear up about his recent release.

The winner of "The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America" was unceremoniously cut by the UFC earlier in May for supposedly turning down fights with Ricardo Lamas and Zabit Magomedsharipov.

Rodriguez joined "The MMA Hour" on Monday to discuss his release.

He said the UFC actually initially killed the fight with Lamas. After Lamas then accepted a bout with Mirsad Bektic for June, Rodriguez was ready for a fight with Magomedsharipov, who called out the 25-year-old after winning at UFC 223 in April. The UFC then renewed its interest in a fight between Rodriguez and Lamas, but Rodriguez says he felt disrespected by being given the runaround and was focused on getting a deal done with Magomedsharipov.

Rodriguez told the UFC he would fight Magomedsharipov, despite his hope to get in the Octagon with a top-ten featherweight, in Los Angeles at UFC 227, but wanted to renegotiate his contract to be paid more.

"I'll fight Zabit if you give me more money in L.A. because I understand how big of an event it is and they said 'no.' I was like 'OK, if you don't want to give me more money to fight him in L.A., why don't you give it to me in Russia," Rodriguez told Ariel Helwani.

Rodriguez said the UFC wouldn't give him the fight in Russia, despite him agreeing to compete there on his current contract.

Further combating the notion that he didn't want to fight, Rodriguez said he accepted a fight with Josh Emmett in February, offered to face Max Holloway after Frankie Edgar dropped out of their scheduled bout last December, and asked to fight Chan Sung Jung, but was told 'no' each time.

Rodriguez said he's grateful for what the UFC helped him accomplish in his time with the promotion and denied having bad blood with any officials, though he did respond to White's decision to announce the fight with Magomedsharipov.

"It was fake," Rodriguez said. "I don't care what Dana says, it was fake as f--k. It wasn't just fake - it was fake as f--k."

Rodriguez said he's been receiving offers from other promotions and is content with his MMA career at the moment. He was enjoying an eight-fight win streak prior to his most recent bout, a loss to Edgar in May 2017, and says he will soon announce his next move.