Yair Rodriguez Vs. Jeremy Stephens Stopped Early At UFC Fight Night, Fans Get Restless
An accidental eye poke ended the main event at UFC Fight Night 159 Saturday night in Mexico City between Yair Rodriguez and Jeremy Stephens. And the fans inside the arena let their displeasure known to all watching live on ESPN+.
After just 15 seconds, the bout was called after Rodriguez caught Stephens in the eye of their featherweight contest. Fans began pelting Stephens with debris as he exited the Octagon.
Rodriguez, a former winner of The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America, was visibly upset about the decision, showing his anger before conducting a post-fight interview with Michael Bisping.
"I apologize a great deal," Rodriguez said. "I feel really bad about it and Jeremy, we'll be back do to this again."
Carla Esparza scored a majority decision over Alexa Grasso in the co-main event, with Irene Aldana and Steven Peterson each earning main card victories. Brandon Moreno and Askar Askarov was declared a draw after three rounds.
Complete results can be found below:
* Yair Rodriguez vs. Jeremy Stephens declared a no-contest (accidental eye poke) at :15 of Round 1
* Carla Esparza def. Alexa Grasso via majority decision (28-28, 29-28, 29-28)
* Brandon Moreno vs. Askar Askarov declared a split draw (28-28, 28-29, 30-27)
* Irene Aldana def. Vanessa Melo via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26)
* Steven Peterson def. Martin Bravo via KO (spinning back-fist) at 1:31 of Round 2
* Jose Alberto Quinonez def. Carlos Huachin via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
* Kyle Nelson def. Polo Reyes via TKO (strikes) at 1:36 of Round 1
* Angela Hill def. Ariane Carnelossi via TKO (doctor stoppage) at 1:56 of Round 3
* Sergio Pettis def. Tyson Nam via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
* Paul Craig def. Vinicius Moreira via submission (rear-naked choke) at 3:19 of Round 1
* Bethe Correia def. Sijara Eubanks via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
* Claudio Puelles def. Marcos Rosa Mariano via unanimous decision (30-25, 30-25, 30-25)