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Jeremy Stephens and Yair Rodriguez had a slight fight on Sunday, a day after the end of their main UFC event.
The UFC poster head in Mexico City was declared banned after just 15 seconds, while Stephens was unable to continue due to a look at Rodriguez. Stephens was unable to open his left eye after a five minute recovery period and the doctor at the place advised referee Herb Dean to stop the fight.
A day later, Stephens said that Rodriguez had approached him at the JW Marriott hotel where the fighters were staying, and Stephens pushed him back after the anger had ignited.
"I thought he was trying to be a gentleman," Stephens said Monday during Ariel Helwani's MMA Show. "I understand, and he started talking to me, I said to myself, my brother, I did not come from a karate school, I'm in the street, I'm here to fight, I'm here To kill you right now, my mentality is back to the f — up, so I pushed it. "
Rodriguez told ESPN that he had "kindly" gone to Stephens and asked him how he was doing. Rodriguez said that Stephens told him that everything was fine and that Rodriguez asked him if everything was okay now, what happened in the fight? Things degenerated from there.
"He pushed me like a little b —-," Rodriguez said. "And I just told him that you'll live the rest of your life with that in your head … if you could go on and you do not do it, you should be ashamed."
Stephens told Helwani that he had been rushed to the ER after the fight and that he had scratches and bruises in both eyes. He said that both eyes were hurting him, but that the left eye, the one he could not open, was worse. Stephens said the doctors had given him a patch to wear on the left eye, but that he had pulled out in favor of the sunglasses. Stephens stated that he had not suffered any major or permanent damage.
"I've been stung in both," said Stephens. "When I got home, my right eye was hurting me a lot, there was also a scratch on the eye, that's what it is, it was just a weird thing." weird, I just remember [Rodriguez’s hand] go down like the Three Stooges. His fingers were in my face. "
Stephens, 33, said he would like a rematch against Rodriguez to settle the score and he does not believe that Rodriguez intentionally steals his eyes. He named three potential events: UFC Boston on Oct. 18, UFC 244 Nov. 2 in New York or UFC Washington, DC on Dec. 7. Stephens and Rodriguez are both UFC featherweight candidates.
"I can get away," Stephens said. "My eye is fine, it's one of those weird things, it's coming in. I did not know if it was going to be worse or not, luckily I came out on the right side, thank God, because the eyes are not to play with. "
Rodriguez, 26, said he did not know if Stephens deserved a rematch with him. He said that he would pay to travel to wherever Stephens, that they could go to the doctor and that he would like to see the results of Stephens' eye exams personally. Rodriguez said that he was not sure what Stephens was saying was true, considering hours later, his eyes were OK.
"I'm ready for testing and proof," Rodriguez said. "If I'm wrong, I'll excuse myself in public, no problem."
Immediately after the fight, it was an ugly scene in Mexico City Arena. Fans threw garbage and beer on Stephens while he was escorted from the Octagon area by security. Stephens said that he had even felt hard objects, possibly coins, hitting him.
"I felt a few pesos and I certainly drank a few drinks [hit me] before I find myself in the back, "said Stephens. I was waiting for it from the fans. I have already been in hostile territory in Brazil. If I knocked it out, it could have been worse. I understood. People pay their hard-earned money to watch a fight. I knew that they were going to be rowdy, I knew that they were going to be on his side. "
The UFC did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the situation.
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