Jeremy Stephens needs to destroy his opponents to satisfy his “blood-quenching thirst.”
Unfortunately his most impressive performance over the last four years came against Drakkar Klose at the UFC Vegas 24 weigh ins. The 36 year-old “Lil’ Heathen” has dropped six of his last seven and squeaked by with a split decision victory over Myles Price to win his first PFL fight back in June, pushing his record to 1-1 for the tournament-based promotion.
Next stop for Stephens is a lightweight clash at the PFL Championship pay-per-view (PPV) event, which takes place TONIGHT (Fri., Nov. 25, 2022) at Hulu Theater from Madison Square Garden in New York City. That’s where Stephens (29-20, 1 NC) will battle 30 year-old Brazilian bruiser Natan Schulte (22-5-1) on the ESPN+ undercard.
“I’m probably more of like a serial killer than anything,” Stephens told MMA Junkie (transcribed by MMA News). “Yeah, Dexter, that sounds good. Like, I’ve got that thirst, those urges. Like a Dahmer, a Bundy. I’m not highlighting these guys, like what they did was sick. I have a thirst that I have to satisfy. No disrespect, but I feel like a goddamn serial killer that needs to kill. That might sound a little bit weird, but there’s something about that adrenaline, that feeling, that power. It’s a blood-quenching thirst that I need.”
A victory for Stephens will likely be enough to earn “Lil’ Heathen” a spot in the 2023 lightweight tournament, which could result in a world title and $1 million grand prize. The same can be said for Schulte, who is 11-2-1 for PFL and captured the crown in both 2018 and 2019. Simply put, there is a lot on the line for both fighters tonight in “The Empire State.”
Tonight’s PFL 2022 finals will headlined by the women’s lightweight championship showdown between Kayla Harrison and Larissa Pacheco. Elsewhere on the card, Brendan Loughnane and Bubba Jenkins collide for the 145-pound belt, while Ante Delija and Matheus Scheffel go to war for the $1 million prize at heavyweight.