It seemed like Jeremy Stephens really found a home in bare-knuckle fighting after he put together an undefeated run with BKFC that was capped off with a jaw-breaking performance over former UFC champion Eddie Alvarez.
But that fight actually served as the final bout on his contract and rather than re-sign with BKFC, Stephens ended up inking a one-fight deal to return to the UFC where he competes in his hometown of Des Moines, Iowa on Saturday. While Stephens made it clear once he hit free agency that he wanted to be compensated properly to return to BKFC, he didn’t leave the promotion on bad terms just because the UFC came calling with an offer.
“I don’t have any bad blood over there with BKFC,” Stephens told MMA Fighting. “We tried to get a hold of [David] Feldman, get in contact. I wasn’t going to wait for no response or anything. I’m paying my own bills. I’ve got to create my own opportunities.
“The fact that I can just go do this here in May, make an opportunity, have a payday. [But] I love BKFC. No one’s f*cking with me and BKFC. I think there’s some fights there and it’s like are you going to pay me my worth? If not, I’ve got to take care of this family. I’m still active, still healthy. I want to compete. UFC was just a stop of opportunity.”
The win over Alvarez seemingly set up Stephens for all sorts of potential opportunities including a long awaited dream match against BKFC co-owner Conor McGregor, who actually stepped into the ring with him for a faceoff back at the event in Philadelphia in January.
Stephens also called for a potential showdown against BKFC star Mike Perry, who has largely become the face of the promotion since he first signed there a few years ago.
While neither of those fights came together after the Alvarez win, Stephens knows it’s all still possible and the attention paid to those possible matchups only gets bigger if he goes out and starches Mason Jones in the UFC on May 3.
More than anything, he just wants BKFC to come after him with a financial offer that makes sense.
“BKFC, when it comes to bare-knuckle, the king of the barbarians is home,” Stephens said. “I was asking for that Mike Perry fight. Conor [McGregor] can talk about he wants to come over [to bare-knuckle] but those guys aren’t really serious. I’m actually like are you serious or which route do we got to go? Obviously, I’ve got to keep putting in work. I’m going to keep f*cking showing up and being in everybody’s faces. It’s going to be my year. You’re just going to hear Jeremy Stephens all across the f*cking board.
“I want to fight for a company that’s going to keep me busy and let me create my own opportunities. I don’t have to prove my worth. I already know what I’m capable of in doing things. To sell out the show, crack a f*cking jaw, and go out there when they put $2 million on Eddie. Come on, I feel like I deserve those paydays, too, right? I feel like the MMA people around the globe are starting to recognize who the f*ck I really am. I still out here doing it and just creating opportunities for myself. I don’t rely on nobody. I’m my own man. I do it my own way.”
In a perfect world, Stephens would win his return fight in the UFC and then start working towards that matchup against McGregor with the history between them dating back to an infamous press conference exchange back in 2016.
That back-and-forth moment that went viral where McGregor shouted “who the f*ck is that guy” has only fueled Stephens that much more to eventually get his hands on the Irish superstar.
While there are questions about whether or not McGregor ever competes again with nearly four years passed since his last fight and he’s now teasing a potential run at President in Ireland, Stephens isn’t giving up hope just yet.
“I kind of keep it in the back of my head to chase that type of red panty night,” Stephens said. “I deserve it but I really know I can f*cking rearrange his jaw. Rearrange his f*cking legs and break him. I think we’re the perfect fight.
“Let old buttcheeks Conor, cocaine Conor do his thing, let him run wild. In the meantime, I’m just going to keep whooping ass, keep showing up as No. 1 and eventually if the opportunity comes, I put myself in line by action, not just f*cking talking and being a social media clown. I’m out here f*cking doing it. Breaking jaws, snapping bras. It’s just what I do.”
