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UFC veteran Jeremy Stephens predicted that the confrontation with Yair Rodriguez would take place on video. Less than 24 hours later, he was right.
The video of the near-dust at the hunting hotel after UFC Mexico was released Tuesday by the Spanish website Indiscutido. This seems to corroborate the claims of both fighters after the publication of the code.
Filmed from behind Rodriguez in what appears to be the day, the video shows the Mexican fighter who approaches Stephens in the lobby after asking if he was fine.
Much of the exchange is inaudible. But Stephens, who is wearing sunglasses, can be heard saying, "Give it back." Rodriguez replies, "Of course, but what happened?"
Then Stephens pushes Rodriguez hard.
Spectators quickly intervene to separate the fighters, who clashed in the octagon a few hours earlier, to be disappointed by a non-contest. Things turn out badly, with Rodriguez and Stephens calling each other anyway, including a homophobic insult.
"You're going to have to live with that for the rest of your life," Rodriguez said. "It's not me, I'm fine, Mom.
"Yeah, really easy punk someone like that," Stephens replies. "Let him go back. Call (UFC matchmaker) Sean (Shelby). Give it back.
"Yeah, give it back – it was yesterday," Rodriguez spat.
Just hours earlier, Stephens was unable to continue when Rodriguez inadvertently raked his eyes just 15 seconds into the ESPN + night of last Saturday's demonstration at the Mexico City Arena. . The crowd mocked Stephens and threw him with debris at the UFC staff as they left the arena.
Rodriguez jumped on the cage to try to gather the crowd, he then told reporters. But he also attacked the UFC commentator, Michael Bisping, before regaining his composure.
Rodriguez expressed his sympathy for Stephens while also appearing to question the severity of his injury to the eye, citing a previous fight in which he had lied to cage doctors before continuing.
Stephens claimed that Rodriguez had initiated the confrontation at the hotel.
"He goes up, shakes my hand and immediately starts talking," Stephens said. "Where I come from, you do not do that, man. I pushed him through the hotel and I saw that his sister was recording with her phone, thinking that she was going to have a glimpse, or that he was talking to me.
"He was jostled and once he did not even take a step forward.His family did not do it either.I was about to hit him, as well as his coaches and all those who came to meet me, but they all immediately backed up.
Stephens downplayed his minor eye injury – despite a potential six-month suspension for corneal abrasion – and angrily demanded a return match against Rodriguez.
Rodriguez told ESPN.com that he would like to see evidence that Stephens had suffered an eye injury and that he would apologize publicly if it was proven that he was wrong.
Stephens is not optimistic: they will never cross in the octagon.
"I guarantee you that the kid does not want one," says Stephens. "I bet he does not accept the fight, he goes on and runs. That's what he does. You saw how he acted after the victory. He celebrates as if he had won a glance. Who do this? The kid was nervous all week. I was in his head, I'm still in his head, and he can accept the fight or get rid of the f-k from my path. "
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