Yair Rodriguez, Jeremy Stephens to collide in Mexico City

Two of the UFC featherweight division’s most exciting fighters are reportedly set to collide when the UFC returns to Mexico City on September 21. According to ESPN’s Ariel Helwani, Mexico’s own Yair Rodriguez will battle knockout puncher Jeremy Stephens on the card.

Yair Rodriguez vs. Jeremy Stephens is set for the Sept. 21 card in Mexico City, according to multiple sources.

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) July 26, 2019

“Yair Rodriguez vs. Jeremy Stephens is set for the Sept. 21 card in Mexico City, according to multiple sources.” – Ariel Helwani on Twitter.

Yair Rodriguez has not fought since November, when he knocked out “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung in the final second of a five round fight, capturing Knockout of the Year honors in the eyes of many fans. Prior to this incredible victory, the Mexican featherweight contender went well over a year without fighting, taking a long break after a stoppage loss to Frankie Edgar. He’s 11-2 overall with wins over names like Jung, BJ Penn, Alex Caceres, Andre Fili and Dan Hooker.

Jeremy Stephens, on the other hand, is 28–16. He’ll enter this fight with Rodriguez on a two-fight skid, as he was defeated by Zabit Magomedsharipov by decision and stopped by Jose Aldo in his last two bouts. Prior to this rough patch, Stephens was on a three-fight streak composed of a decision win over Gilbert Melendez and a pair of violent knockouts over Doo Ho Choi and Josh Emmett. Other highlights of his resume include defeats of Renan Barao, Dennis Bermudez, Darren Elkins and Rafael dos Anjos.

In addition to this Rodriguez vs. Stephens fight, the UFC’s return to Mexico City is also expected to include another dynamite featherweight scrap between The Korean Zombie and Brian Ortega — first reported by BJPenn.com Chris Taylor.

Who do you think will win when Yair Rodriguez and Jeremy Stephens fight in Mexico City this September?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 7/26/2019.