As if his night couldn’t get any worse, a half-blind Jeremy Stephens was pelted with drinks, food and who knows what else as he exited octagon at Mexico City Arena on Saturday night.
From the moment his main event with Yair Rodriguez (11-2 MMA, 7-1 UFC) was called off after just 15 seconds, fans began chucking concessions towards Stephens (28-16 MMA, 15-15 UFC) as he covered his face in the cage. UFC security, Stephens’ corner and commission officials shielded the injured fighter and escorted him out.
Multiple video angles posted on social media show the perennial UFC contender and his helpers getting hit with items and drenched with all sorts of liquid as they hurried down the runway toward the back.
The UFC on ESPN+ 17 headliner between Stephens and Rodriguez was scheduled for five rounds but only lasted 15 seconds. After a few hard leg kicks, Rodriguez took a swipe at Stephens and inadvertently scraped his left eye.
Referee Herb Dean gave the the situation every chance to settle itself out, but after 5 minutes of timeout, the doctor deemed Stephens unable to continue. An upset Rodriguez initially let his emotions get the best of him and snapped at UFC commentator Michael Bisping. However, the Mexican fighter quickly apologized and gave a fiery post-fight speech.
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