Yair Rodriguez officially booked for UFC Mexico

While previously reported, the UFC recently made it official: Yair “El Pantera” Rodriguez (11-2) will face Jeremy “Lil’ Heathen” Stephens (28-16) at UFC Mexico City. The event takes place in the Mexican capital, September 21st, Rodriguez vs Stephens will serve as main event.

?? OFICIAL PARA #UFCMÉXICO ??@panteraufc frente a @LiLHeathenMMA evento estelar para el 21 de Septiembre en la @ArenaCdMexico https://t.co/IEuO3wHU7k pic.twitter.com/YkG6lLCHNy

— UFC Español (@UFCEspanol) July 28, 2019

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Rodriguez defeated Leonardo Morales to win the featherweight tournament of TUF: Latin America. He then went on to win five additional fights, including knockout finishes of Andre Fili and BJ Penn. He was then pitted against former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar, and was handed a TKO loss via doctor stoppage. His latest outing is likely his most impressive, as he knocked out Chan Sung Jung in the last second of the last round of their fight – which Rodriguez was losing on the scorecards.

Veteran Stephens has competed in the UFC since 2007. During his time with the promotion he’s won against the likes of Rafael dos Anjos and Renan Barao. He won three straight bouts between 2017-2018, including vicious knockouts of Doo Ho Choi and Josh Emmett, but his streak was cut short as Stephens was defeated via TKO against Jose Aldo. He also lost his most recent bout with Zabit Magomedsharipov via decision.