UFC Mexico City: Jeremy Stephens is Promising All Kinds of Violence in Yair Rodriguez Fight

Yair Rodriguez may be coming off an electrifying knockout, and has buzzed the MMA masses with his striking to date. But, it doesn’t sound like Jeremy Stephens is overly impressed with what he’s seen out of the rising featherweight.

Rodriguez’s UFC run

Rodriguez made his way to the UFC via TUF: Latin America in 2014, as after advancing to the finals during the competition, he beat Leonardo Morales at UFC 180 to lock down a contract. The Mexican fighter continued to deliver on the hype that he generated, as Rodriguez proceeded to win five straight fights. His path to a title shot was halted in 2017 by Frankie Edgar, however, who out wrestled him en route to a TKO win (via doctor stoppage).

“Pantera” returned to the cage last November, and dropped jaws throughout the sport, by knocking out Chan Sung Jung with a ducking elbow (with one second left in the fight).

Stephen’s take on Rodriguez

Well, Rodriguez has drawn widespread praise for his dynamic striking. But, while talking to the media in advance of their fight, Stephens had this to say (quotes via MMA Junkie):

“He’s a kid,” Stephens said. “He’s a chamaco and I’m a man. I fight like a man. I don’t run. I’m here to whoop his ass. I’m here to embarrass him and outpoint him every single step of the way.”

“Yair can’t (expletive) wrestle for (expletive),” Stephens said. “He’s in trouble. I’m going to slam him on his head and cut him open. He thinks Frankie Edgar swole his eye? Wait until I cut him open.”

“…What is new generation? What are you going to show me that I haven’t seen me or Bruce Lee hasn’t shown on a movie. What the (expletive) are you going to show me that’s new? I just fought a guy who’s just like you that’s better than you that you were afraid to fight.”

Now, if you need a refresher, Stephens is coming off a decision loss to Zabit Magomedsharipov, who, like Rodriguez, is also a walking highlight reel when it comes to striking. Some might argue, as Stephens did here, that Magomedsharipov is a more dangerous fighter than Rodriguez, on account of his grappling attacks. So, in other words, “Lil’ Heathen” could indeed, be feeling very confident about what’s going to transpire this weekend.

Here is the complete line-up for Saturday’s card in Mexico City.

UFC Fight Night 159 Main Card on ESPN+ (8 p.m. ET)
145 lbs.: Yair Rodriguez vs. Jeremy Stephens
115 lbs.: Carla Esparza vs. Alexa Grasso
125 lbs.: Brandon Moreno vs. Askar Askarov
135 lbs.: Irene Aldana vs. Vanessa Melo
145 lbs.: Martin Bravo vs. Steven Peterson

UFC Fight Night 159 Prelims Card on ESPN+ (5 p.m. ET)
135 lbs.: Jose Quinonez vs. Carlos Huachin
145 lbs.: Kyle Nelson vs. Marco Polo Reyes
115 lbs.: Angela Hill vs. Ariane Carnelossi
125 lbs.: Sergio Pettis vs. Tyson Nam
205 lbs.: Paul Craig vs. Vinicius Moreira
135 lbs.: Sijara Eubanks vs. Bethe Correia
155 lbs.: Marcos Mariano vs. Claudio Puelles

*Fight card, bout order and the amount of matches subject to change.