This former UFC fighter has had a very unconventional journey so far. He fought in the UFC for 15 years, putting on over 30 fights for the promotion, then left with no bad blood to explore other opportunities.
Most recognized as the guy from the notorious “Who the f00k is that guy” meme, Jeremy Stephens, then dabbled in a little bit of boxing, and even joined UFC’s rival, PFL.
But Stephens only found his real calling when he joined Conor McGregor’s promotion BKFC (Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship), even facing off against the Irishman after defeating mutual foe Eddie Alvarez KnuckleMania 5 in January.
And now, four years after his departure from the Dana White-led promotion, he makes a comeback at UFC Des Moines over the weekend – a journey no one saw him taking. But what made this homecoming possible? Well, turns out it was a text his wife wrote to UFC boss, Dana White.
In an interview with MMA Fighting, he revealed, “My wife was like ‘why don’t you reach out to Dana?’ I was like I don’t know. Then I was like, why not? I’ve dragged myself out of the ring well this far so why not keep going? Why not shoot my shot?”
After coming to an agreement with his wife’s idea, Stephens asked her to pen a text on his behalf for the UFC boss.
As luck would have it, White responded, saying he had been meaning to get in touch with Stephens but didn’t have his number. Fast forward to a few weeks, and now Stephens gets to walk through the roar of a home crowd, with his friends and his family in the stands and fight.
However, unfortunately, it won’t be against the opponent he originally wanted.
Stephens shot big for UFC return
Say what you must about Stephens, he doesn’t lack self-confidence. In fact, it is this exact trait that made him say that he could knock out Conor McGregor during the UFC 246 press conference.
So when he got on the phone with Hunter Campbell to discuss his return, he asked for everything short of UFC gold.
During a press conference ahead of UFC Des Moines this weekend, Stephens revealed the names he initially proposed for his return fight and said, “I shot big, you know, Conor, Justin Gaethje, Max Holloway for the BMF belt, considering he just got knocked out, I’m thinking real big, I’m shooting my shot.”
Jeremy Stephens explains how he returned to the octagon for #UFCDesMoines after “snapping bras and breaking jaws” in BKFC. pic.twitter.com/HRFWY9qgTh
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) April 30, 2025
Coincidentally, even his opponent, Mason Jones, is returning to the UFC after a 3-year absence. So this fight is a make-or-break fight for both fighters, more so for Stephens, who promised fans to get ready to witness a different version of him. Different from the one who fought in the organization 4 years back and left the promotion on a 5-fight skid.
Having been around the world and then some, hopefully, his second innings under the UFC banner can bring him better fortune.
