Best and worst from UFC Fight Night 159: Rodriguez vs. Stephens

Last night's main event between Jeremy Stephens and Yair Rodriguez ended in sheer disappointment
Last night's main event between Jeremy Stephens and Yair Rodriguez ended in sheer disappointment

#1 Worst: The main event ends in the worst way possible

Jeremy Stephens was unable to continue after an early eye poke
Jeremy Stephens was unable to continue after an early eye poke

Coming into this show everyone was salivating over the Featherweight main event between action stars Yair Rodriguez and Jeremy Stephens.

The crowd in the Mexico City Arena clearly bought into it, treating Rodriguez as a returning hero while booing Stephens out of the building. Unfortunately, not only did we not get the exciting action we expected, but we also got one of the worst main event finishes in UFC history.

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After finding his range early on with a front kick, Rodriguez reached out with his hand and unfortunately swiped Stephens in the eye. Referee Herb Dean called time, but Stephens – a tough veteran with 31 UFC fights to his name – simply couldn’t open his rapidly swelling eye, and after giving him the full five minutes to attempt a recovery, Dean was forced to call the fight off.

Not only was the ending hugely anticlimactic, but it also turned ugly as the Mexican fans rained debris down onto the Octagon, with one object even striking Rodriguez.

Whether this affects the UFC wanting to return to Mexico remains to be seen, but it definitely wasn’t nice to watch. Hopefully the promotion can run this fight back soon as plenty of fans – including me – still want to see it.

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Edited by Alan John
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