UFC on FX 5 had almost as many headlines outside the cage as it did inside it. While other fighters were continuing to improve their careers others faltered. None more so than perhaps Jeremy Stephens.
The lightweight has been an exciting fighter during his UFC tenure but has always struggled to put together a string of impressive victories. His career may have stopped dead in it’s tracks after being arrested prior to competing Friday night.
A lot of stories have been circulating the web and Dana White‘s explanation of the situation has been well documented. Now Stephens’ management has released a statement regarding the situation including the events that caused a warrant to be issued:
In response to the recent arrest and allegations regarding Jeremy Stephens we would like to take this opportunity to reach out to his supporters and clarify some of the information that has been circulating in the media.
In 2011, Jeremy was attending a homecoming party in Des Moines, Iowa. A person in attendance became intoxicated and disorderly, and was asked to leave by the owner of the establishment. The intoxicated individual subsequently became involved in a physical altercation with another person at the event. We have learned that, as the featured guest at the party, Jeremy’s name came up during the police investigation of the assault. (Evo Agents)
Stephens’ management explained that he isn’t exactly a hard guy to find and is just as confused as White as to why the authorities waited until now to take action:
Prior to being detained the morning of October 5, 2012, in Minneapolis, Jeremy had never been arrested in connection with the assault, contacted about any possible charge and or notified about any outstanding warrant by mail or any other means. Jeremy has lived at the same residence in San Diego and has maintained the same phone number for the past year or more. Jeremy also uses social media to provide updates on his training, and to thank fans, supporters, sponsors, and the UFC. In short, Jeremy is not a hard guy to find, which can be seen at www.LilHeathenMMA.com.
At this time, we do not know why Polk County (Iowa) authorities waited to have a warrant served on Jeremy until the morning of his fight. He arrived in Minnesota four days earlier, stayed at the hotel with other fighters for the event, and attended the public weigh-in on Thursday afternoon. Because he was arrested so close to the time of the fight, arrangements for his release could not be made in time for him to compete despite the diligent efforts of the UFC. Minnesota state officials were great to deal with, but Polk County kept changing the deal making it impossible to get Jeremy released.
It will take some time for this unfortunate situation to be resolved. We ask that everyone be patient and wait for the truth to come out. We also would like to thank Jeremy’s fans who are standing by him during this tough time and especially Dana White and the staff at UFC for their incredible display of support for Jeremy throughout the ordeal.
There is nothing to hide, so we will keep everyone updated as things progress. (Evo Agents)
This seems to go with White’s statements about how difficult the Iowa authorities were compared to the ones in Minnesota. As with all legal matters, it’s a sit and wait type of game in which fans will have to wait for more information to be leaked out before passing judgement.
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