Author: Chops

By Joyce Lynda Valdes

At just 24 years old, Jeremy Stephens is a long-serving Lightweight in the UFC. Each year thousands of UFC hopefuls pin their dreams on getting cast in the Spike TV reality series, The Ultimate Fighter to jumpstart their careers in the biggest MMA promotion, but Stephens who started his amateur MMA career at the age of 16 was able to bypass casting directors by grabbing the attention of the promotion with his then impressive 13-1-0 record and earned himself a shot in the big league. Stephens lost his UFC debut to Din Thomas and briefly fought once more in a smaller promotion, which lead him right back to the UFC where he remains today with a now 19-6-0 record. Stephens has shown Knock Out power that has earned him 3 KO of the Night bonuses but has also found himself happily swimming in the middle of the pack as he calculatingly forges his way to his next goal as a Top 10 contender.  Stephens most recent victory over Marcus Davis has gained him more spotlight attention on his punching prowess but has also prompted him to request some downtime to perfect his game. We caught up with Jeremy Stephens as he’s taking advantage of his time-off and asked him to answer a few of our pressing questions in his own written words…

1. First of all, congratulations on your KO of the Night win over Marcus Davis! How does it feel to get a guy kicked out of the UFC? Just joking…but I do wonder what the fighter thinks when he is the last person to beat another fighter who is subsequently released from their contract…
JS: It depends how you look at it, as he would have rather been on my end of this. But, I do not get a good feeling helping anyone get their walking papers. At the same time, we all know the prices you pay when you lose, so it is what it is. I do like Marcus and wish the best for him though.

2. You appeared to be in some trouble in the first two rounds with Davis. Going into a third round, where you fear you’ve lost the first two rounds, what goes on in your head? How do you turn it around to finish a fight and not let it go to decision?
JS: I know I for sure lost the first, and the 2nd could have gone either way. So I knew what I had to do going into the 3rd, which was actually the game plan. The only part of the game plan that didn’t go as planned, was getting rocked in the 1st, and Marcus to be as strong as he was. Marcus has some grown man strength, and [is] one of the strongest guys I have ever fought.
What goes through my head? That I’m down, and I’m not letting him take this fight from me. I trained too hard for this, and he can’t handle the pressure I’m about to bring to him. I’ll take whatever he gives me, but I’m going to knock his head into the cheap seats. That’s what I think going into the 3rd round with anyone when I’m down.

3. You’re in probably the most stacked division of the UFC. Do you feel comfortable at the pace you’ve come up in the ranks or does the overload of talent make things a bit uneasy? And is that a good thing to keep you on your toes?
JS: I feel great where I’m at. I improve every single day, and each fight I change things up. I asked for time off after UFC 125, so I can add a lot more to my game. So come my next fight, things will be different. I’m just taking it one fight at a time, getting better, and earning my shot at the top 10, top 5, then the title, which I will get to.

4. You’re a young guy and yet a veteran of the UFC, having fought in the promotion since 2007. You’ve had eleven UFC fights, three KO of the Night and one Fight of the Night wins. Do you still feel like a young 24 year old guy or do you look at someone like Anthony Pettis who is just 1 year younger but he’s also just starting out with UFC and think, here’s a young guy with a lot to learn, as Clay Guida has recently stated, he plans to show Pettis “what the UFC is all about…”
JS: Like I said about getting better each day, I also do in my personal life. I’ve been through too much adversity to let this stuff go to my head. I’m very mentally strong, and do what I gotta do to be a better person with a better, day in, day out! You’re only as old or young as you allow yourself to be.

5. You’re in a pretty good position for lining up your next fight, so; whom in particular are you eyeing next?
JS: I’m not eyeing anyone. I just want a fight that will put me in the top 10. Then I want a fight that will put me in the top 5, and eventually in the title picture. I’d like to see Melvin get that title, and so we can eventually run that fight back (that I won), and live up to the hype. I really like how Melvin has fought since, so maybe….
But I’m not stuck on Melvin by any means, I just want the fights to me at the top.

6. Another difficult part of being in such a stacked division as the UFC Lightweights, is the frequency of fights you get called for. Have you been contacted regarding your next opportunity in the Octagon?
JS: No, I asked for time off. I talked to my coaches, management, the UFC, and it was all agreed. So I’m in the works to bring a lot more into my game. I will be back in action, most likely in June/July.

7. With the addition of the 135 and 145lb divisions now in the UFC, would you consider moving down a weight class or two? Has the thought crossed your mind?
JS: Nope. I love where I’m at, and have no reason at all to even think about this.

8. Speaking of how young you are… I spoke with a longtime friend of yours, Tequila Cazadores Spokes Model, Emily Miller who attended middle school with you. She says she recalls you getting in a few fights at the skating rink. MMA is still a relatively young sport. How did you become aware of it growing up? And what motivated you to become a professional MMA fighter? Was the skating rink that hardcore?
JS: Like I said, I went through a lot of adversity growing up. I’ve been through and seen more then most will never experience. It’s not a bad thing, because it has made me who I am, and I wouldn’t take it back for anything. Yes, I have always liked to fight/wrestle since i was a kid. I was a teenager, got talked into going to a “sign up and fight” in a local bar. I got some quick wins, great KO’s, and have been hooked ever since.
BTW- Emily is great. She has been there since the beginning. What I don’t remember, she could probably tell you.

9. Obviously some of the big MMA news right now is Dos Santos and Lesnar heading in to coach this season of TUF 13. Do you think that TUF is a very beneficial show to be on at least from a marketing aspect, would it have been helpful for you to appear on the show rather than sign straight with the UFC?
JS: It depends on which fighter, but I think any/all fighters would benefit from being on the show. So yes, I would for sure have benefited from being on TUF. I have a lot of personality that would be good for TV, haha. It’s more then fighting, and shows your character. It’s great for the sport, and I’m glad to seeing it do so good. I hope it just gets bigger and better! Lesnar vs Dos Santos is genius, especially right before the UFC goes to Brazil.

10. You’ve got some impressive punching power… Is there anyone you’d like to knock out just for your own personal amusement?
JS: I want to knock out every single fighter that stands across from me in competition. There is no other feeling that compares, and it’s exactly what the fans want!