Jeremy Stephens reflects on losing unlikely UFC comeback fight, insists ‘we ain’t done’

Jeremy Stephens didn’t get the victory he was hoping for in his unexpected return to the UFC. The good news is that he seems to be taking his recent loss well.

Stephens is one of the most experienced fighters in UFC, tallying 34 fights in the featherweight and lightweight divisions, dating all the way back to 2007. However, he parted ways with the promotion in 2021 following a decision loss to Mateusz Gamrot. Stephens was closing in on his mid-30s by that point, and was winless in his last six fights, so it seemed unlikely he would ever return to the promotion.

It turns out he’s full of surprises.

After leaving the UFC, he migrated to the PFL, going 1-2 in three fights. After a handful of boxing matches, he then signed with BKFC, and quickly rattled off three impressive victories.

Much like “Platinum” Mike Perry before him, Stephens seemed like he was born to fight bare-knuckle in the BKFC ring. However, after knocking out lightweight legend Eddie Alvarez in his last fight, he was invited back to the UFC to take on Mason Jones in Des Moines, Iowa — his hometown — last Saturday.

Jeremy Stephens breaks silence on failed UFC homecoming, looks to the future

As we’ve covered, the fight with Jones didn’t go the way Stephen planned. Instead, he suffered a pretty clear unanimous decision loss to the Welshman, who was also making a UFC return.

The loss doesn’t seem to have dampened Stephens’ spirits at all. Several days after the event in Des Moines, he took to Instagram to express his gratitude for his hometown fans, and look to the future.

 

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“Another sold out Wells Fargo Centre,” Stephens wrote. “That’s number two for this year. First it was BKFC, UFC. After four years away from the UFC and eight weeks to prepare I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to give my hometown Des Moines, Iowa a show.

“Y’all showed up and showed out and I’m forever grateful,” he added. “Just know, we ain’t done.”

Heading into the card in Des Moines, Stephens made it clear he had only signed a one-fight contract with the UFC — an extremely unusual deal that reflects the promotion’s respect for him. It is not clear if he will be invited back after his loss. However, BKFC will surely be happy to welcome him back. While he has never won a major title in MMA, he scored some very impressive wins. Highlights of his resume include defeats of Rafael dos Anjos, Darren Elkins, Gilbert Melendez, Doo Ho Choi, and Josh Emmett. He is a huge asset for the bare-knuckle promotion, especially if they can set up a fight with “Platinum” Perry.