5 Fights for Jeremy Stephens to Take Next
5 Fights for Jeremy Stephens to Take Next
Jeremy Stephens continues his featherweight climb by beating Darren Elkins in dominant fashion. Stephens landed heavy punches on Elkins and found himself in little trouble, stuffing most of the takedowns thrown at him and avoiding most of the ground game in general.
Up on the scorecards, Stephens took his foot off the gas, looking to counter Elkins' progressively wild shots. Desperation was setting in at the beginning of the third round as the wrestler threw blind hooks at Stephens, hoping to land a 'hail mary' punch. Grabbing Stephens' neck, Elkins attempted a couple of guillotines, which the Lil Heathen rolled out of to end the fight with a safe lead in the judges' opinion.
The featherweight division is possibly the most stacked division in the UFC, with the top-10 athletes in the weight class being incredibly talented fighters. The division could change shape at UFC 169 where Jose Aldo will be fighting Ricardo Lamas in his sixth consecutive title defense. Aldo has contenders lined up for him including Chad Mendes, Cub Swanson and Anthony 'Showtime' Pettis.
With Stephen's victory, he has entered the top 10 in the featherweight rankings, looking in from the outside. Not many of the featherweights are actively matched up in fights at the moment, leaving plenty of options for Stephens. He is going to have a tough time with any of the opponents in the division, and as he has had a questionable ground game in recent history, these possible matchups will test him in every area.
5. Tatsuya Kawajiri
Japanese wrestler Tatsuya Kawajiri forced himself into the UFC rankings after a dominant debut in which he submitted Sean Soriano to continue his six-fight win streak. A fight with Jeremy Stephens could be an entertaining fight, and the Japanese star could prove a threat to Stephens' current momentum.
4. Dennis Bermudez
Dennis Bermudez is one of the most entertaining and well-rounded featherweights in the UFC today. He recently battered Steven Siler for three rounds in an exciting war, and half of his fights earn some sort of fight night bonus. Against Jeremy Stephens, I can see another Fight of the Night performance happening.
3. Chan Sung-Jung
Yet another entertaining fighter, Chan Sung-Jung needs a big win after separating his shoulder in a loss against Jose Aldo. Stephens could keep this fight on the feet long enough to make this interesting, and beating the Korean Zombie could have the 'Lil Heathen' fighting for a contender spot.
2. Dennis Siver
The German kickboxer is coming off a technical win against Manvel Gamburyan in which he used his kicks to pick apart the judoka in true Siver fashion. Siver vs. Stephens would make a great kickboxing matchup and would most likely end with a bang.
1. Dustin Poirier
Dustin Poirier is my favorite fighter in the UFC. The young man has technical striking skills but is always fun to watch. He has an active guard, a dangerous sprawl and a nice top game. Jeremy Stephens would have to bring his A-game to currently challenge this young gun.
5 Fights for Jeremy Stephens to Take Next
Jeremy Stephens continues his featherweight climb by beating Darren Elkins in dominant fashion. Stephens landed heavy punches on Elkins and found himself in little trouble, stuffing most of the takedowns thrown at him and avoiding most of the ground game in general.
Up on the scorecards, Stephens took his foot off the gas, looking to counter Elkins' progressively wild shots. Desperation was setting in at the beginning of the third round as the wrestler threw blind hooks at Stephens, hoping to land a 'hail mary' punch. Grabbing Stephens' neck, Elkins attempted a couple of guillotines, which the Lil Heathen rolled out of to end the fight with a safe lead in the judges' opinion.
The featherweight division is possibly the most stacked division in the UFC, with the top-10 athletes in the weight class being incredibly talented fighters. The division could change shape at UFC 169 where Jose Aldo will be fighting Ricardo Lamas in his sixth consecutive title defense. Aldo has contenders lined up for him including Chad Mendes, Cub Swanson and Anthony 'Showtime' Pettis.
With Stephen's victory, he has entered the top 10 in the featherweight rankings, looking in from the outside. Not many of the featherweights are actively matched up in fights at the moment, leaving plenty of options for Stephens. He is going to have a tough time with any of the opponents in the division, and as he has had a questionable ground game in recent history, these possible matchups will test him in every area.
5. Tatsuya Kawajiri
Japanese wrestler Tatsuya Kawajiri forced himself into the UFC rankings after a dominant debut in which he submitted Sean Soriano to continue his six-fight win streak. A fight with Jeremy Stephens could be an entertaining fight, and the Japanese star could prove a threat to Stephens' current momentum.
4. Dennis Bermudez
Dennis Bermudez is one of the most entertaining and well-rounded featherweights in the UFC today. He recently battered Steven Siler for three rounds in an exciting war, and half of his fights earn some sort of fight night bonus. Against Jeremy Stephens, I can see another Fight of the Night performance happening.
3. Chan Sung-Jung
Yet another entertaining fighter, Chan Sung-Jung needs a big win after separating his shoulder in a loss against Jose Aldo. Stephens could keep this fight on the feet long enough to make this interesting, and beating the Korean Zombie could have the 'Lil Heathen' fighting for a contender spot.
2. Dennis Siver
The German kickboxer is coming off a technical win against Manvel Gamburyan in which he used his kicks to pick apart the judoka in true Siver fashion. Siver vs. Stephens would make a great kickboxing matchup and would most likely end with a bang.
1. Dustin Poirier
Dustin Poirier is my favorite fighter in the UFC. The young man has technical striking skills but is always fun to watch. He has an active guard, a dangerous sprawl and a nice top game. Jeremy Stephens would have to bring his A-game to currently challenge this young gun.
