Stephens re-signs with UFC for Des Moines fight
Jeremy Stephens has re-signed with the UFC after more than three years away.
The veteran MMA fighter will make his return against Mason Jones on May 3 in his hometown of Des Moines, Iowa, the promotion announced early Thursday morning.
The lightweight fight will mark Stephens' 35th appearance in the Octagon.
Stephens hasn't competed in MMA since November 2022, but he's returning to the UFC after an impressive win in bare-knuckle fighting earlier this year. Stephens defeated former UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez via TKO in the main event of BKFC KnuckleMania 5 in January. Stephens revealed after the victory he was a free agent.
The UFC parted ways with Stephens, 38, in early 2022 on the heels of a six-fight winless streak. He signed with the PFL for its 2022 season but went 1-2 and didn't make the playoffs.
"Lil Heathen" then transitioned to boxing, where he fought former UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo to a draw in April 2023 and lost to Chris Avila on the Jake Paul-Nate Diaz undercard that August.
Near the end of 2023, Stephens signed a deal with BKFC. He earned wins over Jimmie Rivera and Bobby Taylor before stopping Alvarez to lift his BKFC record to 3-0.
Now, Stephens - whose first UFC stint began in 2007 - will be seeking his first Octagon victory since he knocked out Josh Emmett in February 2018.
His opponent, Jones, is also returning to the UFC for a second tenure. The 29-year-old Welshman went 1-2 (1 NC) in the promotion from 2021-22 but has since won four in a row. Jones is a former Cage Warriors welterweight and lightweight champion.
UFC Des Moines will mark the promotion's first event in Iowa since UFC 26 in June 2000.