According to an ESPN report, Yair Rodriguez is set to be making his 2019 debut in the fourth quarter when he takes on UFC veteran Jeremy Stephens at UFC on ESPN+ 17 (UFC Mexico City) on September 21. The contest will serve as the main event.
The last time we saw Yair Rodriguez in action was when he executed arguably the greatest knockout in the history of the UFC with his spectacular reverse elbow to Chan Sung Jung to win a fight in which he was literally one second away from losing on the judges’ scorecards. It may not be possible for Rodirguez to duplicate such a KO, but as long as he duplicates the win, I’m sure El Pantara will find satisfaction in that. Rodriguez has won an impressive nine of his last ten fights and currently boasts a record of 11-2 and is the 7th ranked featherweight in the UFC.
Jeremy Stephens is a man who needs no introduction. We all know who this guy is. He’s a man with 19 of his 28 wins by knockout who will be more than up to the challenge of facing another prolific striker in Yair Rodriguez. At 33 years old, Jeremy Stephens has 44 professional fights and has been competing in the UFC for 12 long years. Stephens has had his share of ups and downs at 28-16, and he will look to return to the upswing after coming off back-to-back losses to Jose Aldo and Zabit Magomedsharipov. Stephens is currently ranked one spot beneath Yair Rodriguez at #8.
With the addition of this bout, the current UFC on ESPN+17 lineup is as follows:
Main Event: Yair Rodriguez vs. Jeremy Stephens
Carla Esparza vs. Alexa Grasso
Brandon Moreno vs. Askar Askarov
Sijara Eubanks vs. Bethe Correia
Angela Hill vs. Istela Nunes
Jose Alberto Quinonez vs. Carlos Huachin
Who wins this featherweight main event? Yair Rodriguez or Jeremy Stephens?
