Last night, in the main event of BKFC: Knucklemania 5, Jeremy ‘Lil Heathen’ Stephens finished former UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez in three rounds.
It was a fantastic performance from Stephens, who had been brutally roasted throughout Fight Week by fans of ‘The Underground King’ – aches and pains aside, revenge must have felt ever-so sweet.
Yet scoring brutal knockouts is exactly what ‘Lil Heathen’ lives and breathes for; with one of his most iconic KOs in the UFC once prompting veteran commentator Joe Rogan to call him a ‘savage animal’.
Joe Rogan hailed ‘savage’ Jeremy Stephens after wild UFC KO
Jeremy Stephens competed under the UFC banner for 14 years (2007-2021) and despite leaving the promotion with a losing record of 15 wins and 18 losses, he’s still remembered as one of the most powerful punchers in featherweight history.
In 2018, Stephens took on popular contender Doo Ho Choi in a five-round main event at UFC Fight Night: St Louis; with the American being a moderate underdog to ‘The Korean Superboy’.
Choi got off to a good start, using his height and reach advantage to land some nasty low kicks – stepping out of range just in time to avoid Stephens crashing forward with his patented overhand right.
But the momentum of the fight drastically shifted in the second round, with Stephens landing his own painful low kicks and snapping Choi’s head back with stiff jab after stiff jab – again, the overhand right eluded him… But only for so long.
“Jeremy throws haymakers, who the f*** is more savage than Jeremy Stephens?” questioned Joe Rogan on an episode of his JRE Fight Companion as he watched the fight unfold.
Just as the round reached its halfway mark, Stephens would unload a thunderous right hand that knocked Choi to the ground, before following up with vicious ground and pound to secure the stoppage win.
“He’s such a f***** animal, I mean he just loves these firefights and the opportunity to test who’s the tougher guy… Ooooh he tagged him with the right hand!! Ooooh, that’s it, oh my goodness!
“What a f***** right hand, he is an animal – oh man, that’s beautiful. What a fight… F***** animal, the guy’s a savage, such a savage. F***, that was awesome – and he can do that to anybody, he takes [damage] so well and that attitude, that ferocious attitude.”
And it wasn’t just Joe Rogan who was blown away by Stephens’ KO win over Choi, with a host of UFC superstars coming out to celebrate the KO power of the Lil Heathen.
“Proud of my big bro Jeremy Stephens,” wrote Anthony ‘Rumble’ Johnson, with former foe Cub Swanson calling him a “Monster”, and Aljamain Sterling noting that you simply “Can’t ever count out the Lil Heathen, when he lands, it’s just different!”
The finish secured Stephens his eighth (of 10) post-fight bonuses – his ninth would arrive just one month later when he finished Josh Emmett on short-notice inside two rounds.
Seven years after that fabulous night in St Louis, Stephens is still finding ways to finish UFC legends; having just stopped Eddie Alvarez in the main event of BKFC: Knucklemania 5.
After the event, Stephens faced-off with long-time rival Conor McGregor.