UFC featherweight contender Yair Rodriguez has responded to a controversial remark from his opponent this Friday night Jeremy Stephens.

Stephens, who hasn’t won inside the Octagon since back in February 2018, recently told reporters that “I’m gonna kill this kid. If he don’t die, it don’t count” in reference to his rematch this Friday night against Yair Rodriguez at UFC Boston. The two men squared off at UFC Mexico City less than a month ago, but an accidental eye poke led to the bout being declared a no contest after just 15 seconds.

Now, with the rematch taking place tomorrow evening, Rodriguez has issued a retort during his own pre-fight interview (via MMA Junkie).

“I think everybody has their own battles to deal with. If he thinks that way, then God bless him, bro, because he’s in the deep s*** right here. I think he already has a lot of problems in his life and stuff that he has to deal with that I don’t even want to really keep on pushing too much into his head. I want him fresh for this fight because he’s a tough opponent and I don’t want him to be weak. He’s just showing me that he’s weak, and I want him fresh. I want you fresh, bro.”

Both men stand to make significant progress in the featherweight division if they can pull off the win, in a fight that very few fans expect to go the distance. Either way, though, we can expect the very best from these two world-class stars in one of the more highly anticipated rematches of the last few years.

Who do you think will come out on top when Yair Rodriguez and Jeremy Stephens collide in Boston tomorrow night? Make your pick in the comments section below.

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 10/16/2019.