Iowa native Jeremy Stephens is brimming with confidence ahead of his hometown return.
Signing a one-fight deal with the UFC, ‘Lil Heathen’ will square off with Mason Jones when the promotion heads back to the Hawkeye State for the first time in 25 years.
Stephens exited the UFC in 2021 amid a six-fight losing streak, so it should come as no surprise that he goes into his Octagon return as a massive underdog. DraftKings Sportsbook currently has him listed as a +425 underdog, meaning a $100 bet would net you $425, should he pull off the upset.
Jones is a 7-to-1 favorite to extend his unbeaten streak to five, but none of that matters to Stephens, who made his intentions clear during the UFC Des Moines media day.
“I want to put him in the f*cking morgue,” Stephens said. “I want to bring my pain to purpose. I got goals, I got delusions, this is just a little gas stop for the ultimate goal. He’s just an opponent like anyone else and that’s all I need, just a name so I can put a f*cking toe tag on him when I whoop his ass in my home town” (h/t MMA Mania).
Jeremy Stephens is focused on the task at hand
Jones is making his own UFC return riding a four-fight win streak, all coming under the Cage Warriors banner. ‘The Dragon’ enters the bout eight years younger than his opponent and possesses significant advantages in both speed and power compared to the 38-year-old ‘Heathen.’
“I don’t give a f*ck [about his skillset], I’m worried about me. Me being the most vicious, ferocious, malicious fighter,” Stephens said. “I don’t care about the opponent. I’m focused on my task, my job, and what I have to do to put a motherf*cker in a bodybag, put him in the morgue.”
Following his UFC exit, Stephens had a brief stint in both the PFL and boxing before finding his footing in bare-knuckle boxing. Lil Heathen’ is a perfect 3-0 in BKFC competition, defeating Jimmie Rivera, Bobby Taylor, and former UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez.
