UFC confirmed its first-ever trip to the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa, USA this week, with a shocking return as part of the event’s lineup.
Des Moines’ own Jeremy Stephens will appear on a UFC card for the first time in nearly four years, meeting Mason Jones in a lightweight matchup.
While Stephens is best known for his UFC career—which has seen him appear 34 times, making him the sixth-most experienced talent in the promotion’s history—he’s returning to the brand after being featured all around the combat sports world.
He appeared as part of the 2022 PFL season, marking his first non-UFC appearances in over a decade. While he had an unsuccessful run in the brand overall, a split decision win over Myles Price snapped a lengthy seven-fight losing streak he had obtained in recent years.
Stephens moved into the world of crossover boxing events by 2023, fighting on the undercards of shows headlined by names like Jake Paul, Nate Diaz, and Roy Jones Jr. He fought to a draw against Jose Aldo (who has also returned to the UFC since) and lost to Chris Avila.
Then, in his most successful venture since leaving the UFC, Stephens became a breakout star in bare-knuckle boxing promotion BKFC. He has obtained three wins for the promotion since late 2023, beating fellow seasoned MMA vets under the unique no-glove ruleset. His last appearance, a stoppage win over ex-UFC champ Eddie Alvarez, headlined the promotion’s “Knuckle Mania” card at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The upcoming fight is a long-awaited homecoming for Stephens, who hasn’t fought in Des Moines since he was a regional MMA prospect.
Jones has a similar story to Stephens in the upcoming fight, returning to the UFC after some time away from the brand. While Jones had an unsuccessful UFC run a few years back—obtaining just one win through four appearances—he’s back in the promotion after a stretch of four consecutive victories in European regional promotion Cage Warriors.
Iowa Gets First Fight Card Since The New Millennium
The upcoming card will mark the UFC’s first trip to the state of Iowa since UFC 21 back in 1999. While they have made two past trips to Cedar Rapids, the roughly 214,000 residents of Des Moines will get their first-ever “Fight Night” card as part of the upcoming show.
Along with the return of Stephens, UFC also confirmed a previously reported headliner between Cory Sandhagen and Deiveson Figueiredo. Here’s an updated look at the card:
Bout 11: Cory Sandhagen (17-5) vs. Deiveson Figueiredo (24-4-1) (Bantamweight)
Bout 10: Marina Rodriguez (17-5-2) vs. Gillian Robertson (15-8) (Strawweight)
Bout 9: Santiago Ponzinibbio (30-8) vs. Daniel Rodriguez (18-5) (Welterweight)
Bout 8: Yana Santos (15-8) vs. Miesha Tate (20-9) (Bantamweight)
Bout 7: Marlon Vera (23-10-1) vs. Mario Bautista (15-2) (Bantamweight)
Bout 6: Reinier de Ridder (19-2) vs. Bo Nickal (7-0) (Middleweight)
Bout 5: Lee Jeong-yeong (11-2) vs. Trevor Peek (9-3) (Featherweight)
Bout 4: Cameron Smotherman (12-4) vs. Serhiy Sidey (11-2) (Bantamweight)
Bout 3: Junior Tafa (6-3) vs. Tuco Tokkos (10-5) (Light Heavyweight)
Bout 2: Azamat Bekoev (19-3) vs. Ryan Loder (7-1) (Middleweight)
Bout 1: Jeremy Stephens (29-21) vs. Mason Jones (15-2) (Lightweight)
Knockdown News 