LAS VEGAS — Charles Oliveira is one of the best submission artists in the featherweight division, maybe in the UFC. Jeremy Stephens knows all about that and it doesn’t make him wary.
Stephens meets Oliveira in the co-main event of The Ultimate Fighter 20 Finale on Friday night here at Palms Casino Resort. And “Lil’ Heathen” is pretty sure he knows how things will go.
“This isn’t a submission grappling match,” Stephens told MMA Fighting on Wednesday at TUF 20 Finale media day. “This is an MMA match and I feel like I excel at MMA matches. I’m able to punch you in the face. I’m able to do a lot of things, keep you away from me. I feel like I’m a better athlete than him, I have better footwork, I’ve been in there with more versatile fighters. I’ve been in the game, man. I think that overall experience is just going to overwhelm him. I’ve got the power.”
Stephens (23-10) is coming off a tough, five-round unanimous decision loss to Cub Swanson in June, A win there would have put him in the 145-pound title discussion. Instead, he’ll have to work his way back up starting with Oliveira, who has won two straight, both of which earned him Performance of the Night bonuses.
“I know he’s looking to come back and make a statement,” Stephens said. “I’m looking to break it. I’m looking to break his mentality. I’m looking to eat him up in there.”
Stephens is undoubtedly one of the hardest hitters in the division and Oliveira (18-4, 1 NC) one of the very best Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialists. So if you’re into the classic striker versus grappler matchups of yore, this one will be a treat.
Stephens, though, just sees it as another rung in the ladder. If he beats “Do Bronx,” he plans on coming back to fight early in 2015 and starting on another run. Stephens won three straight before falling to Swanson. By the end of next year, “Lil’ Heathen” is hoping to be right back in that title mix — or better.
“It’s only going to be a matter of time,” the 28-year-old said. “I’m here to stay. I’m going to make a statement come Friday and guys are going to know that I’m for real and I mean business.”
Not that he’s looking past Oliveira. Stephens just figures he knows how it’ll end up.
“As soon as I start touching him up, landing that damage, I think it’s going to change his mindset,” Stephens said. “I think it’s only a matter of time until I get that finish.”
Penne wasn’t at her best during ‘extremely difficult’ TUF tournament
Jessica Penne made it all the way to the semifinals of The Ultimate Fighter 20 tournament. Yet she never once felt like she was completely at 100 percent in the house. The living situation just didn’t agree with her.
“I did the best that I could with my circumstances,” Penne said. “I definitely know that I can do a lot better than what I showed. I’m proud of myself for my accomplishment. It was really hard for me being in that house, not having any alone time and being away from the comforts of home, but it was difficult for everyone.”
Penne, who meets fellow semifinalist Randa Markos at the TUF 20 Finale on Friday night, said training since leaving the Las Vegas house has been almost a breeze.
“For me personally, it was extremely difficult,” she said of The Ultimate Fighter. “I tried to prepare myself to go into it and to know what was expected. But it was really different than anything I’ve ever done and I think it was definitely the hardest training camp I’ve ever had to go to. Afterwards, everything just seems a little bit easier, a little bit more relaxed.”
TUF drama not quite buried yet
Randa Markos and Carla Esparza had one of the biggest rivalries on The Ultimate Fighter this season even though they didn’t fight each other. The feud spilled over onto FOX Sports 1’s post show after one episode with each woman firing barbs at the other.
Markos made it seem like the hatchet has not been put away.
“The biggest negative was people’s attitudes,” Markos said. “You go in there thinking you’re going to train with the best in the world, they’re professional athletes and they act so unprofessional. That was really sad to see. It just shows what kind of person you are and the people they are, the attitudes they have. It just bothered me to see how far people have gotten with their attitudes. Like being a champ in Invicta and having such a horrible attitude.”