The highly anticipated rematch between Yair Rodríguez and Jeremy Stephens lived up to the hype with both fighters finally putting an end to their long-standing feud.
There had been bad blood between the two fighters since their UFC Fight Night 159 match in September ended in a no contest in the first round after Stephens was poked in the eye and couldn't continue. But on Friday, the two finally met in the Octagon again and this time there was no controversy - just an amazing fight between two highly competitive fighters.
Both fighters came out looking for an early finish, but Rodríguez found success early on. After opening with a flying kick that partially connected, Rodríguez continued to pressure Stephens with multiple powerful kicks. Stephens attempted did bull rush Rodríguez into the fence, but the highlight of the round came at the end. An aggressive Stephens attempted to go after an off-balance Rodríguez and was dropped briefly by a jab, essentially giving the round to Rodríguez.
Rodríguez continued his offensive in the second round, landing multiple kicks to the body of Stephens, including one that sent him crumbling to the canvas in clear pain. Rodríguez quickly pounced on top of Stephens and emptied the tank in an attempt to finish him. Somehow though, Stephens fended off the onslaught and was able to get back to his feet. THe momentum somewhat shifted in Stephens favor as the round closed.
Building off his momentum, but down in the scorecards, Stephens came out in the final frame looking for a knockout. He scored a pair of takedowns, but was uanble to finish Rodríguez who held on to earn the win.
In the end, the No 7-ranked Rodríguez came away with the unanimous decision victory (29-28 x3) and moved to 13-2 with 1 NC. The No. 8-ranked Stephens fell to 28-17 with 1 NC. Despite the intense rivalry, both fighters shook hands and embraced after the fight, seemingly burying the hatchet.