MEXICO CITY – Yair Rodriguez stopped short of accusing Jeremy Stephens of faking an injury in their UFC on ESPN+ 17 main event. However, his post-fight comments weren’t difficult to decode.

The anticipated featherweight fight ended in a no contest after an accidental eye poke by Rodriguez (11-2 MMA, 7-1 UFC) prevented Stephens (28-16 MMA, 15-15 UFC) from being able to continue, halting the bout after just 15 seconds.

It was an anti-climactic moment for Rodriguez, who was promoted as the star of the show in his home country at Mexico City Arena. He was clearly frustrated with the outcome, and while he said he wants to believe Stephens genuinely couldn’t fight, he also expressed a layer of doubt.

“I don’t know how to feel right now, honestly,” Rodriguez said on the UFC on ESPN+ 17 post-fight show. “All of my friends are telling me not to be disappointed, that this (expletive) happens. I really did my all for this camp. I honestly put a lot of effort, a lot of time. It was the hardest training camp I ever had. I put a lot of meditation into it. A lot of people came here with a lot of time. They left their families back home for a long time with kids and stuff. I understand that’s hard for them and for me, as well.

“My family came here, all my friends came here, and you always have to give the benefit of the doubt to your opponent. You don’t know how he’s feeling. But he’s the only one who is going to have to live with that in his mind for the rest of his life, if it was a lie.”

The fight was Rodriguez’s first since his 2018 “Knockout of the Year” against Chan Sung Jung last November at UFC Fight Night 139. The outcome Saturday night was the second-fastest no contest in UFC history, causing even more discontent within an athlete who has battled inactivity.

Rodriguez believes he can relate to Stephens in the scenario, but it does not appear to be a sympathetic view. He called back to his fight against Frankie Edgar in May 2017 that ended in a doctor stoppage when his eye was battered shut by the former UFC champ’s ground-and-pound.

Despite the fight being waved off after the second round, Rodriguez said he did everything in his power to continue. It appears he doesn’t believe Stephens did the same.

“You always have to give the benefit of the doubt,” Rodriguez said. “I can’t imagine how it feels to have an eye poke. But I know how it feels to have an eye closed, and I still fought. But that’s up to me. But even with that, I told them I could see. I was ready to go in the third round because I said, ‘Yes, I could see,’ even if it was a lie. But everybody is different in this sport. The only one that has to live with that is Jeremy Stephens. I understand. I’m giving him completely the benefit of the doubt.”

Given the result, a rematch would seem like a natural fit. The condition of Stephens’ eye is unknown, though, and the timeline for his return might not line up with when “El Pantera” wants to fight again.

Rodriguez didn’t express much enthusiasm in running it back, either. However, he said he ultimately leaves those decisions up to his team and the UFC brass.

“I just want to wait and see what’s going to happen after this,” Rodriguez said. “I have to go and talk to the UFC, to my team and see what is going to happen. I don’t know. As I said before the fight: Jeremy Stephens is a fight that I didn’t want to take because he was behind me in the rankings, because of his toughness or whatever. I’m going to have to talk to my team and see what they’re thinking and what the UFC is thinking.”

Gallery Yair Rodriguez vs. Jeremy Stephens at UFC on ESPN+ 17: Best photos view 17 images

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