Jeremy Stephens has quit the UFC after becoming the target of Conor McGregor’s “who the f*** is that guy” comment in 2016. Stephens spent over six hours in the cage throughout his astounding 34 outings, the fourth most in the promotion’s history.
According to Mirror UK, he hasn’t fought since a first-round loss to Mateusz Gamrot in July. The fight against Mateusz Gamrot was the last fight on his UFC contract. Stephens has opted to leave the UFC and not sign a new contract with the organisation.
According to officials, the 35-year-old, who never fought for a title, has been dropped from the UFC roster.
Despite the fact that his career is now over, Stephens retains several records, including being in the top five in the world for decision victories, Fight of the Night bonuses, and knockdowns.
“Who the F*** is that guy?” – McGregor’s comment doesn’t seem to bother Jeremy Stephens.
However, Jeremy Stephens `UFC reputation is most known for his clash with one of the sport’s biggest stars, Conor McGregor, at the UFC 205 press conference in 2016.
Conor was set to fight Eddie Alvarez while on his mission to become the UFC’s first ever double-champion by holding belts in two weight classes simultaneously.
After being questioned by the media that night, ‘Lil Heathen’ stepped in and declared himself the division’s “actual hardest-hitting 145-er.” It elicited an amusing answer from the Irishman, who stated that he had never heard of Stephens.
Years later, during an interview on The MMA Hour, the veteran spoke about how he felt about the ordeal. According to the former UFC fighter
“Yeah, exactly. I think a lot of people like that quote when I said ‘this guy TKOs people, when I knock people out they don’t f***ing move’. You know that’s a pretty cold and bold statement! It doesn’t bother me, man, these guys are MMA fans, it’s crazy in there. Especially in America when you’re in MMA, they’re booing you one minute, they’re cheering you the next.”
“What can you really do to me? You’re gonna say who the f*** is that guy? It’s like, I just told you about the s*** with my mom, finances, dude, like, I’ve been through some s***. Bro, I could be out here butt-ass naked, like, judge me, go ahead. There’s nothing you can do, you’re not gonna break me. I’m unbreakable. If I get knocked down I’m getting back up, I’m gonna keep coming. That’s the mind set.”
What lies ahead for Jeremy Stephens?
Once it was revealed that Jeremy Stephens would be leaving the UFC, speculation erupted as to what the next step in Stephens career might be. His six-fight winless streak in the UFC did not bode well for him. In the PFL’s new season, he’ll put his skills to the test.
