This post serves as the introduction to the live blog for the Jeremy Stephens versus Mason Jones lightweight bout, featured as the main card opener at UFC Des Moines, held at Wells Fargo Arena.
Jeremy Stephens is making a surprising return to the Octagon. His last appearance was a swift 65-second submission loss to Mateusz Gamrot at UFC Vegas 31 in July 2021. Since that time, Stephens has competed for other promotions like PFL and Gamebred Boxing, but most notably found a career resurgence in the bare-knuckle boxing world (BKFC). “Lil` Heathen” has gone 3-0 in BKFC, including a dominant stoppage victory against fellow veteran Eddie Alvarez at KnuckleMania 5 in January. He is making a rare, one-off return appearance for this fight in his hometown of Des Moines, Iowa.
Mason Jones is also marking his return to the UFC. His last fight within the promotion was a loss to Ludovit Klein in July 2022. After that setback, the 30-year-old returned to the regional scene, competing under the Cage Warriors banner. There, he managed to achieve a remarkable turnaround, securing four consecutive victories—three of which came by finish—to earn his way back onto the UFC roster.
