Jeremy Stephens’ fairytale return to the UFC this Saturday didn’t go as planned and he unfortunately equaled a UFC record with his loss.
After such a successful stint in BKFC where he destroyed Eddie Alvarez, Jeremy Stephens jumped at the chance to return to the UFC when the promotion announced UFC Des Moines.
‘Lil Heathen’ fought against the returning Mason Jones, who after an unsuccessful first stint in the promotion, earned another shot in the UFC after a stretch of wins in Cage Warriors.
Stephens’ run in the UFC came to an end after he failed to pick up a win in six fights, and he was hoping to buck that trend in his hometown.
Jeremy Stephens equals unwanted UFC record
The 38-year-old started the fight relatively impressively, landing several heavy shots on the chin of his Welsh opponent, but also ate some big shots himself.
Despite the majority of the first round playing out on the feet, where Jones looked to showcase his own knockout power, he mixed it up towards the end by scoring a takedown.
Seemingly, ‘The Dragon’s’ youthfulness played dividends as the fight went on as he managed to beat Stephens to the punch on most occasions and took the shots that came his way.
Although the second round played out closer between the two, Jones once again landed the bigger shots and was seemingly up in the fight.
In the final round, the Welshman went back to his wrestling and scored an important takedown on ‘Lil Heathen’, controlling the majority of the round on the ground, going on to win a decision.
With Stephens’ return not being the fairytale he hoped it would be, it was made worse as he has now equaled the record for the most losses in UFC history with 19, matching Clay Guida.
What’s next for Jeremy Stephens?
The 38-year-old only signed a one-fight deal to return to the UFC, and following his loss, it is unlikely he will return to fight under the UFC banner again.
Despite that, Stephens had become one of the bigger stars in BKFC and he will undoubtedly return to the ring.
‘Lil Heathen’ was hopeful of earning a fight against Conor McGregor, after the two faced off in the ring after Stephens’ win over Alvarez, however, that is now also highly unlikely.