Kicking off the main card of UFC Des Moines this past Saturday, we saw a matchup in the lightweight division that featured the return of Lil Heathen. Jeremy Stephens (29-22) made his return to the octagon in front of his hometown of Des Moines, Iowa facing off against the returning Mason Jones (16-2).
Stephens hadn’t fought inside the octagon since 2021. Following that, he had a three-fight stint in the PFL before having a couple of boxing matches and ultimately finding a home in BKFC. BKFC is the perfect place for Stephens and he went 3-0 in Bare Knuckle with his biggest win being against Eddie Alvarez back in January at Knuckle Mania 5.
Following that fight, Stephens revealed that he was a free agent. Like many, I just assumed that he would be getting a new deal with Bare Knuckle because he was becoming a star for them. However, out of no where, it was announced that he had signed a one-fight deal with the UFC in order to fight in front of his hometown in Des Moines.
Stephens showed up on Saturday ready for war and that’s what we saw for two rounds. Stephens and Mason Jones went toe-to-toe for the first ten minutes with both men landing big shots. In the first two rounds, Jones switched to his wrestling to control the very end of the rounds but both rounds had a ton of action.
Having proved his point of standing with Stephens, Jones focused on only his wrestling in the final round much to the displeasure of the Des Moines fans. Jones ended up winning a unanimous decision, but Stephens walked away happy that he got to fight at UFC Des Moines and they put on arguably the best fight of the night.
What’s next after UFC Des Moines?
As mentioned, this was a one-fight deal to return to the octagon and now Stephens is back to being a free agent. I didn’t anticipate Stephens signing with the UFC long-term and after this fight, I don’t expect him back. The only way I’d see him coming back is if somehow they returned to Iowa anytime in the future which given their travel schedule, I wouldn’t think that would happen anytime soon.
With that, I’m anticipating that Jeremy Stephens will return to BKFC. That promotion and Lil Heathen were made for each other and Bare Knuckle is picking up steam right now. Stephens lost nothing from this fight on Saturday and I think he can return to Bare Knuckle just as big of a star as he was when he left back in January.