When the news dropped this week that Jeremy Stephens (29-21 MMA, 15-18 UFC) is set to return to the Octagon for the first time since 2021, it certainly came as a shock to anyone who has followed his career since he left the UFC.
"Lil' Heathen" is in line to face Mason Jones (15-2, 1 NC MMA, 1-2, 1 NC UFC) when the UFC rolls into Des Moines, Iowa on May 3rd, the town where Stephens was born.
Stephens has remained incredibly active since his last UFC appearance. He fought 3 times in the PFL smartcage in 2022 before dipping his toes into the world of professional boxing the following year when he faced fellow UFC veterans Jose Aldo and Chris Avila.
Most recently, the 38-year-old has been fighting under the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) banner, where he picked up a massive victory over former UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez at Knucklemania 5 in January.
Having lost 7 of his last 8 MMA fights and made such a splash in the world of Bareknuckle fighting, the news of his return to the UFC came out of left field, and speaking during an appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show on Monday, Stephens revealed some details about his contract with the organization.
"It's just a one and done, dude, one and done", Stephens told Helwani. "And again, I'm betting on me. I can really set myself up for an opportunity. The performance, I'm looking to go in there and show up and dominate. It's going to be brilliant. It's going to be epic. So. I'm betting on me again".
Stephens Calls For Blockbuster Fight Against Mike Perry
"I see me going back to Bare Knuckle" he responded when asked what will happen after UFC Des Moines is done and dusted. "I'd like to fight Mike Perry, someone big. I could see, you know, if there's some opportunity there in UFC, that's for sure too, bro.
"I'm just, I'm not worried about any of that. That's the opportunity that comes with winning. That's what gets me excited. You know, on days that I don't want to do it., I push past it. I'm excited about life right now. I'm excited to get, get all the tools back. You know, like I was exhausted in wrestling and doing things last week, getting it into this week. I'm here at the gym, but it's like a dog. I'm tired as hell. I'm slobbering, but I just, I'm, I'm happy chasing these cars. You know, I'm, I'm happy about life right now. You can't stop me. I'm unbreakable. This mindset that I'm on, I'm on a wild ride and I'm just, I'm setting it up for me, bro".
Stephens first fought in the UFC back in 2007 and the fight against Jones will be his 35th appearance inside the Octagon. He revealed that he spoke directly to the powers-that-be while brokering this deal, rather than using a manager.
"The only person who's taking care of my family is me", he said. "And the fact that, you know, I told you I broke the matrix, lucky Luciano changing the game. You know, I don't have contracts, no one owns me. You can't keep a muzzle on me. You know, I can get sponsorships. I could do this, do that. You know, I, I talked to the godfathers, you know, like, I mean, it just gives me certainty and confidence, like on a, on a level, like people will pay managers to talk to the godfathers. I can go to them directly. I earned this like every step of the way, blood, sweat, and tears. I mean, I'm not making any of this up, dude. Authentic".
