Jeremy Stephens told Yair Rodriguez that he wants to run their fight back as soon as his eye is healed up following an eye poke at UFC Mexico City.
The main event of UFC Mexico City came to a very unfortunate conclusion just 15 seconds into the fight after Rodriguez accidentally poked Stephens in the eye. Stephens was unable to see and the doctor was forced to stop the fight, forcing referee Herb Dean to declare it a No Contest. The outcome left fans in the arena very upset with the decision, and they threw beer and popcorn into the cage.
But perhaps no one is more upset with the outcome than Stephens himself. “Lil’ Heathen” spent nearly two months in Mexico preparing at high altitude for the fight, only to see it stopped 15 seconds in. Despite that, Rodriguez said in the post-fight interview he wasn’t totally sure if Stephens was actually injured, and questioned the stoppage.
After the event, Stephens — with a bandage wrapped around his eye — told Rodriguez he wants to run the fight back when he heals up in a couple weeks. Here’s what Stephens said:
Tonight's No Contest in the #UFCMexico main event left @panteraufc questioning the severity of the eye injury. Here's @LiLHeathenMMA's response from the hospital moments ago: pic.twitter.com/tLMNvnQgFL
— Karyn Bryant (@KarynBryant) September 22, 2019
“Yair you think I’m faking bro? You’re the one who poked me in the eye. Let’s run it back in four or five weeks, two weeks, whatever. I’ll be ready. Just a deep scratch, a deep bruise You’re the one who poked me. Let’s run it back motherf*cker. Let’s go.”
The Rodriguez vs. Stephens fight was one fans were very excited for, so the fact it ended in such sudden and disappointing fashion was unfortunate for everyone. But for Stephens and Rodriguez, they lost out on a potential win bonus and “Fight of the Night” bonuses. Hopefully the UFC is able to re-book the fight as soon as possible, so we can find out who the best man is.
Do you want the UFC to book the rematch between Yair Rodriguez and Jeremy Stephens?