Video! UFC Mexico City Ends With Eye Poke, Angry Fans Throw Bottles

Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

Things did not go as planned last night (Sat., Sept. 21, 2019) at UFC Fight Night 159 live on ESPN+ from inside Arena Ciudad de Mexico in Mexico City, as featherweight contenders Yair Rodriguez and Jeremy Stephens met in a highly-anticipated main event showdown.

Unfortunately for everyone involved in this fight, especially the fans, Rodriguez landed an accidental eye poke just moments into the bout. Stephens, as tough as he is, couldn’t push through it and the action was stopped by referee Herb Dean.

“Lil Heathen” had plenty of time to recover as Dean urged the cageside doctors to wait five full minutes before making a decision on the fight. At the end of the clock, Stephens was unable to open his left eye and the bout was called.

Check out the eye poke above courtesy of UFC/ESPN.

As if that didn’t suck wind enough, the Mexican fans started to throw garbage into the Octagon. Both fighters were rushed by security and team members and ushered out of the cage as the garbage turned to bottles (shown below).

Here’s a better angle from the cheap seats:

Also, here’s a look at the angered fans throwing beer and popcorn at Stephens after the bout ended:

Despite the main event let down, it was a poor look for the Mexican fan base to turn sour after Stephens was unable to continue. “Lil Heathen” is the last fighter to ever give up if he has an ounce of fight left in him so the eye poke must have connected perfectly. It’s an unfortunate end to a tantalizing featherweight scrap, but it’s likely that Rodriguez vs. Stephens gets rescheduled immediately (assuming that eye can open).

For complete UFC Mexico City results and coverage click here.