Stephens, Rodriguez have run-in at hotel

Jeremy Stephens and Yair Rodriguez had a brief run-in at a Mexico hotel that may have been longer than their fight on Saturday.

Their main event at UFC Mexico City ended 15 seconds into the match and was declared a no-contest after Stephens was poked in the eye. The American was given a few minutes to recover but had trouble opening his left eye.

The two saw each other again the next day at their hotel.

"I thought he was trying to be a gentleman ... and he starts talking s--- to me," Stephens said Monday on "Ariel Helwani's MMA Show," according to ESPN's Marc Raimondi. "I was like, 'Bro, I'm not from a karate school, I'm from the street. I'm here to fight. I'm here to kill you.' Right away, my mentality is back the f--- up. So I shoved him."

Rodriguez had a slightly different version of the events, telling Helwani he approached Stephens nicely and asked if the eye was fine.

"He pushed me like a little b----. And I just told him, you will live the rest of your life with that in your head ... if you could continue and didn't. Shame on you," Rodriguez said.

The Mexican said he wants to see the results of Stephens' eye exams to prove he was injured.

Stephens said he was poked in both eyes and was given an eye patch for his left eye, but he opted instead to wear sunglasses. The featherweight said he'd like to meet Rodriguez in the Octagon again as soon as the Oct. 18 event in Boston.