Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Yair Rodriguez will return after almost a year away from action to face Jeremy Stephens in the main event of UFC Fight Night 159 this Saturday night (Sept. 21, 2019) in Mexico City, Mexico only on ESPN+.
Before then, let’s take a trip down memory lane to see “El Pantera’s” last fight inside the Octagon, which saw him score a come-from-behind, buzzer-beating knockout over Chan Sung Jung in one of the best finishes in recent memory.
In November of last year, the promotion staged it’s 25th Anniversary show back where it all began, Denver, Colorado, site of UFC Fight Night 139 which was headlined by Rodriguez and “Korean Zombie.”
Known as two of the more exciting and creative fighters in the game, Yair and Jung promised to put on a show, and they delivered. For 25 minutes, both men showed of their arsenal in what was primarily standup affair.
But it was clear “The Korean Zombie” was getting the best of the Mexican-born fighter, who was coming off a year-long layoff following his loss to Frankie Edgar. Indeed, Jung was on his way to a unanimous decision win, up until he made a crucial mistake in the final 10 seconds of the fight.
Staying true to form, Chan accepted Yair’s challenge to go blow-for-blow to tie a ribbon on the fight. After dodging Yair’s combinations, “The Korean Zombie” decided he would pull off one of his own before time ran out, and then proceeded to rush “El Pantera,” who also showed great defense.
Part of that defense was ducking under a lazy left hand from Jung, which allowed Rodriguez to throw a crazy upward elbow that clipped his opponent right on the chin, dropping him like a sack of potatoes right as the final bell rang.
It truly was one of the best knockouts ever, especially since that’s the only way Yair would have been able to walk away with the win at the point, and avoid his second straight loss. Now, Yair will look for another impressive showing when he faces a hard-hitting Featherweight in “Lil’” Heathen.”
Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Fight Night 159 fight card this weekend, starting with the ESPN+“Prelims” that are scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. ET, then the main card portion that will stream on ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET.
To check out the latest and greatest UFC Fight Night 159: “Rodriguez vs. Stephens” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.