Jeremy Stephens is set for another shot inside the Octagon, booked to face King Green at UFC 328 at the Prudential Center in Newark.
The bout marks Stephens’ second appearance in his current, third stint with the promotion. He returned to the UFC in May after nearly four years away, dropping a fight to Mason Jones before stepping into bare-knuckle competition against Mike Perry in October.
Following that run, Stephens reached out directly to UFC CEO Dana to secure another opportunity. For the 39-year-old veteran, coming back to the organization carries deep personal meaning. “UFC is my dream,” Stephens said. “I've been watching this sh*t since like fifth grade with my grandfather. I was like, 'Man, I want to do that.' To be doing it as long as I've done it, I know this is my calling. To get that calling taken away and then have it back, you have no idea what it feels like to be here.”
Stephens, who owns a 29-22 professional MMA record and a 15-19 mark in the UFC, points to the late Anthony Johnson as a guiding example for this phase of his career. “I have a big brother that's looking down, Anthony Johnson. I've seen him do it. He got outside the UFC, moved up weight classes, and he was just banging heads. Next thing you know, he was banging on the UFC door again. They let him back, and then he ends up fighting for a title. I kind of kept that inspiration.”
Green enters UFC 328 with a 34-17-1 professional record and a 15-12-1 slate in the UFC.
