UFC Mexico City: Yair Rodriguez and Jeremy Stephens trade forces to reach the featherweight elite this Saturday

Y. Rodriguez (left) and J. Stephens (right) facing the UFC Mexico City. Photo: Reproduction/YouTube MMA Fighting

For the first time in 2019, Ultimate arrives in Mexican territory and takes its athletes to perform at the UFC Mexico City, which takes place this Saturday (21). For the event, the board of directors Yair Rodriguez to represent the colors of their country against the North American Jeremy Stephens in the main fight of the night. In total, 24 athletes will exchange forces in the Octagon this weekend, including five Brazilians.

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The Mexican public has reason to be excited about the main attraction. One of the country's promises, Yair, is ready to try to continue his journey towards the top of the featherweight category (up to 65,7kg), which is currently dominated by Max Holloway.

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Both on the preliminary and main cards, Tupiniquin athletes will try to raise the Brazilian flag and achieve triumphs over their opponents. Among the five fighters are Marcos Dhalsim, Bethe Correia, Vinícius Mamute, Ariane Sorriso e Vanessa melo.

Rodriguez vs. Stephens

The eyes of MMA fans, in addition to the 11 initial clashes, will be focused on the main fight of the night. In the duel, Yair Rodriguez will face the dangerous Jeremy Stephens.

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The Mexican is coming off a great victory over the former challenger for the division title,'Korean zombie', in a fight that was decided in the final second of the match, when Yair, who was being defeated, encountered a surprise elbow that led to his opponent being instantly knocked out, being declared the winner. The episode took place in November last year, in the main fight of UFC Denver.

Fighting outside the house Jeremy Stephens will have the duty to try to frustrate the excitement of the Mexican public this Saturday. The athlete, who is facing a complicated moment in his career, after consecutive defeats to José Aldo, in July last year, and Zabit Magomedsharipov, in March, the knockout artist needs to overcome Rodriguez to try to return to the top 5 in the category.

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Currently, Yair is in sixth place in the rankings, while his opponent comes next, in seventh.

Brazilians on the card

Marcos Dhalsim will be one of those responsible for dictating the tone of the UFC Mexico City. The athlete takes to the octagon in the first performance of the night and faces Claudio Puelles placeholder image and is looking for his first victory for the organization since signing his professional contract in February this year.

Right after Dhalsim, the former challenger for the bantamweight title (up to 65,7kg), Bethe Correia, tries to get back on the path to winning in Ultimate. The fighter is on a string of poor results for the company. Pitbull, as he is known, has not won a match since 2016, when he defeated Jessica Eye in the judges' split decision, at UFC 203. The opponent from Paraíba, Sikara Eubanks, also needs to win to overcome the defeat suffered in a duel against Aspen ladd, in May of this year.

PUBLICITY:

Vinícius Mamute is another athlete who will have another opportunity to prove himself in front of the demanding Ultimate management. After debuting for the company in 2019, in two disputed clashes, the Brazilian has still not managed to have his arm raised at the end of a fight for the UFC. Mamute, who arrived at the company with just one defeat under his belt, exchanges forces with Paul Craig and tries to show its quality to the public present.

Rookies of the night

The Mexico card will be remarkable for two athletes in particular. Ariane Sorriso e Vanessa melo will make their debut with Ultimate gloves. Sorriso, the first to introduce herself, will face the North American Angela Hill. The prudentina defends an unbeaten record that has lasted 12 clashes and almost five years. Hill, in turn, needs to win to overcome the setback suffered in June to XiaonanYan. The fighter is going through an unstable period in the UFC. In her last five engagements, she was defeated on three occasions.

Vanessa melo is the last Brazilian athlete to fight on the Mexican card this weekend. Despite having failed to make her weight cut last Friday (20), the São Paulo native is hoping for a good result in her debut for the organization. Melo accepted the challenge of facing Irene aldana with just over a week to prepare. The athlete will participate in the second fight on the preliminary card of the event. Your opponent comes from a defeat to Rachel Pennington and wants to win to get a chance at the bantamweight belt, which today belongs to Amanda nunes. Vanessa is trying to defend a five-fight winning streak in her career.