Midnight Mania! Jose Aldo Wants Jeremy Stephens at UFC 224

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Jeremy Stephens might just not be getting a title shot just yet- but he could be getting a high-profile contender’s bout. According t…

Bringing you the weird and wild from the world of MMA each and every weeknight

Welcome to Midnight Mania!

Jeremy Stephens might just not be getting a title shot just yet- but he could be getting a high-profile contender’s bout. According to MMAFighting.com, Jose Aldo wants to fight “Lil Heathen” in Brazil.

Aldo said that the UFC originally approached him with the idea of fighting in April, but it would be too soon for him to get back in action. With the company returning to Rio de Janeiro for UFC 224, Aldo wants a featherweight clash with Stephens.

“I asked to fight him, he asked to fight me, so it will be a great fight,” Aldo said. “I’m waiting for them to set it up.”

It’s a fresh matchup for both fighters. Aldo, despite being the greatest featherweight in UFC history, has suffered back to back losses to young champion Max “Blessed” Holloway. Jeremy Stephens, after a long career of inconsistency, has managed to parley his power and experience into three consecutive wins at featherweight, taking out Gilbert Melendez and prospects Doo Ho Choi and Josh Emmett.

This clash is fascinating given both fighter’s reliance on dissuading opponents with their power and athletic striking games. Both fighters have lost to champion Max Holloway in his current run, but if Brian Ortega were to capture the title, all bets are off.

UFC 224 is scheduled to be headlined by Amanda Nunes defending her bantamweight title against Raquel Pennington.

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