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“I guarantee you the kid doesn’t want it. My bet money is that he doesn’t accept the fight, he bitches out and runs”.
Jeremy Stephens doesn’t think Yair Rodriguez wants any part of a rematch.
Their highly anticlimactic featherweight bout this past weekend at UFC Fight Night 159 ended in controversy after Rodriguez landed a fight-ending eye poke on Stephens just fifteen seconds into the opening round. Stephens was unable to open his left eye and the fight was ruled a No Contest (NC) by veteran referee Herb Dean.
Stephens, who was showered with beer as he left the arena, suffered a deep scratch and deep bruise to his eye and has called for an immediate rematch with ‘El Pantera.’
Speaking to MMA Fighting’s Damon Martin in a recent interview, however, ‘Lil Heathen’ said he expects Rodriguez to do everything he can to avoid a rematch.
“I guarantee you the kid doesn’t want it,” Stephens said. “My bet money is that he doesn’t accept the fight, he bitches out and runs. That’s what he does. You saw how he acted after the win. He’s celebrating like he won over an eye poke. Who does that? The kid was nervous all week. I was up in his head, I’m still in his head, and he can either accept the fight or get the f—k out of my way.”
Stephens, who is reported to have got into a post-fight scuffle with Rodriguez at a hotel in Mexico City, claims his opponent backed off after he pushed him backstage.
“These are facts. I’ve never been cut from the UFC for not taking fights. I took a fight [against Zabit Magomedsharipov] when he wouldn’t take it. Who’s the bitch and who’s speaking real facts here? I pushed the kid and he didn’t do s—t.”
Although Stephens wants the rematch, the 33-year-old isn’t going to sit around and wait for Rodriguez to make up his mind — either fight, or ‘shut the f-ck up’.
“People duck and dodge me all the time,” Stephens said. “Brian Ortega has ducked me four or five times. These guys don’t want to fight me. They have to fight me.
“It’s either Yair, or I have nothing attached to that and we move on. Either we fight or you shut the f—k up, and I continue to move forward.”
Stephens is currently ranked #8 in the UFC’s official featherweight rankings.