“Real F*cking Main Event’: UFC Des Moines Star Compares Himself to Caitlin Clark After Return From Conor McGregor’s BKFC

Allan Binoy | 01/05/2025
Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark poses for a photo Wednesday, April 30, 2025, during the Indiana Fever media day at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

In her rookie season, Indiana Fever’s Caitlin Clark set the WNBA single-season assist record and the single-game assist record for all players, among others, breaking viewership records for the sport’s broadcasting partners.

Her performance was so impressive that a UFC veteran from Clark’s hometown of Iowa is now citing her as an example of the high standards he’s setting for himself ahead of his comeback to the Dana White-led promotion.

Jeremy Stephens returns to UFC Des Moines after a 4-year-long absence from the promotion. During this time, he did the proverbial indie tour and became a star at Conor McGregor’s Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC).

Notably, the lightweight fighter had started off his MMA career fighting in a local league in Des Moines, but has since never had the opportunity to perform in his hometown again. So even though he is not the main event for the night, he asserts the crowd will welcome their boy with cheers.

“Iowa’s going to bring the energy regardless but I think they know who the real f*cking main event is and what’s really coming to the table. They’re excited. I’m the best to ever do it coming out of Iowa. Hands down”, he told MMA Fighting.

 

Stephens then gave Clark her credit for bringing the spotlight to the Hawkeye State, “If you know Caitlin Clark from Iowa, she’s had a lot of fans but [she has] just that dialed in focus. I’m really bringing that.”

 According to Stephens, he is bringing the same energy and focus as Clark, but instead of trying to sink a three-pointer, he will be looking to knock his opponent out cold.

Interestingly, the only person more excited about this fight is Stephens’ opponent, Mason Jones, who considers the Iowa native an idol.

Jones ecstatic to fight childhood hero

When Jones entered the UFC back in 2021, he was sporting an unbeaten 10-0 record. He was also joining the promotion as a former lightweight and welterweight champ at Cage Warriors.

Unfortunately, his record at Cage Warriors would not translate well into the UFC, as he would go on to lose 2 of his next 4 fights, with one no contest, all in a space of 18 months.

This is when Jones decided he needed to step away from the UFC and work harder on honing his craft in the regional circuit. Now, three years after that decision, he is ready to make his comeback to the octagon, and as fate would have it, UFC has paired him with someone he’s looked up to since he was seven.

“He’s one of the OGs of the game. I was seven when he signed into the UFC. For me it’s crazy because I was a big fan of his fights, I was a big fan of his performances”, he revealed earlier today.

 

While both fighters are at different points in their career, their comeback stories run parallel to each other. And both have promised to show an improved version of themselves inside the octagon. Hopefully, the fight is just as entertaining as their stories.

 

Post Edited By: Smrutisnat Jena
Jeremy Stephens

About the author

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Allan Binoy

Allan Binoy is a MMA journalist at The SportsRush. Taken to the sport in 2015, thanks to a certain Conor McGregor, Allan has himself dabbled in the martial arts. And having graduated from Loyola College, Chennai, with a degree in English Literature, he has learnt to use his love for language to have a voice in the MMA community. Allan has been writing about the gladiatorial stories for more than three years now and has pursued excellence at a number of reputable media organizations, covering every UFC PPV in the last couple of years. In addition to this, the southpaw is also a semi-professional soccer player for Diego Juniors FC in Pune, playing in the Pune Super Division League.

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