Yair Rodriguez responds to Jeremy Stephens’ ‘die’ comments - ‘His mind is in deep sh*t, it shows weakness’

During a recent media scrum, Jeremy Stephens declared that if Yair Rodriguez doesn’t die during their upcoming “rematch” at UFC on ESPN 6 this Friday night (Oct. 18, 2019) in Boston, Mass., then his victory simply won’t count. While countless fighters have used over-the-top trash talk to hype a fight, as well as inflict fear into their opponents, Rodriguez claims that Stephens’ recent comments only prove that “Lil’ Heathen’s” mind is not right.

“Everybody has their own battles to deal with. If he thinks that way, then God bless him because he’s in deep shit right here,” Rodriguez said, while pointing to his head.

Instead of firing back with a bold threat of his own, Rodriguez chose to take a calmer approach because he doesn’t want to get too deep into his foe’s head. That’s because he wants him fresh and focused for the fight.

“I think he already has a lot of problems in his life, stuff that he has to deal with and I don’t really want to keep on pushing too much into his head. I want him fresh for this fight,” Rodriguez said. “He is a tough opponent, and I don’t want him to be weak and this is showing me that he is weak. I want him fresh.”

Their first fight — which went down at UFC Fight Night 159 a little less than one month ago in Mexico City — ended in a ‘No Contest’ after Rodriguez inadvertently poked Stephens in the eye just 15 seconds into the bout. As a result, Stephens was unable to continue and the fight was called ... much to the chagrin of all involved.

One day later, the two men were involved in a hotel altercation, intensifying the looming do-over, which now carries much more heat, drama and beef into “Beantown.”

Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC on ESPN 6 fight card this weekend right HERE, starting with the ESPN 2 “Prelims” that are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. ET, then the main card portion that will air on ESPN proper at 9 p.m. ET.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC on ESPN 6: “Weidman vs. Reyes” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.