Jeremy Stephens is confident he’ll be able to run it back against Yair Rodriguez before the end of the year, but he’ll have to be cleared before than can even be a possibility.
Stephens must be cleared by an ophthalmologist for a corneal abrasion or face a 180-day medical suspension after being poked in the eye by Rodriguez in the UFC Fight Night 159 headliner. Stephens was unable to open his eye after the foul despite being given a recovery period of several minutes. As a result, the bout was ruled a no contest after just 15 seconds.