Jeremy Stephens

Scouting report

Jeremy Stephens was born in Des Moines in 1986, played baseball, basketball and wrestling at Norwalk High School, started amateur MMA at 16 and trained full time from 18. He debuted in the UFC at UFC 71 on May 26, 2007 and fought there on and off until 2026, going 15-20 with one no contest in 36 bouts. He won Knockout of the Night for Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 91 and Marcus Davis at UFC 125, and in April 2023 he boxed Jose Aldo to a six-round majority draw in Milwaukee.

Peak ratings

Jeremy Stephens: an Iowa slugger with 20 UFC losses and a long list of wars

Stephens held the UGC and MCC lightweight titles before the UFC and listed Alliance MMA as his gym, with Spencer Fisher an early trainer. His UFC run covered both featherweight and lightweight. The UFC did not renew his contract in January 2022, and he fought in the PFL that year, going 1-2. He then moved to bare-knuckle boxing, where he went 3-1 and lost the King of Violence title fight to Mike Perry by TKO in round five in October 2025. He is tied for the most losses in UFC history.

Stephens, attribute by attribute

Boxing. 86, his best. Dos Anjos was knocked out with punches in round three at UFC 91 in November 2008, and Davis by a punch in round three at UFC 125.

Kickboxing. 78. Rony Jason was knocked out by a head kick in round one in Goiania in November 2013.

Wrestling. 76. Darren Elkins lost a unanimous decision to him at UFC on Fox 10 in January 2014.

BJJ. 68, the weak side of his game. Din Thomas armbarred him in round two of his debut, and Joe Lauzon did the same in February 2009.

Strength. 82. He stopped Dennis Bermudez with a knee and punches in round three at UFC 189, and Josh Emmett with elbows in round two at UFC on Fox 28.

Durability. 84. Jose Aldo stopped him with punches in round one at UFC on Fox 30 in July 2018. Calvin Kattar did it with elbows in round two at UFC 249.

Cardio. 82. He went five rounds with Cub Swanson in June 2014, a Fight of the Night, and lost a unanimous decision.

Fight IQ. 76. His fight with Yair Rodriguez in September 2019 ended in a no contest after 15 seconds on an accidental eye poke. He lost the rematch in Boston that October in a Fight of the Night.

Boxing at 86 and ten bonuses

Stephens earned three Knockout of the Night awards, six Fight of the Night awards and one Performance of the Night, including Sam Stout at UFC 113, Gilbert Melendez at UFC 215 and Choi Doo-ho in January 2018. UFC.com ranked the dos Anjos knockout tenth for 2008. He is tied with Anderson Silva for second-most knockdowns in UFC history. For a draft, he is a heavy hitter who is rarely in a boring fight.

BJJ at 68 and the submission losses

Thomas and Lauzon armbarred him, Mateusz Gamrot finished him with a kimura in round one at a July 2021 card in Las Vegas, and Natan Schulte caught an arm-triangle in the PFL in November 2022. King Green choked him in round one at UFC 328 in May 2026. He also missed weight before that fight. Give him a grappling partner elsewhere in the build.

Ratings shown are my own estimates, made with AI assistance and informed by how Jeremy Stephens is regarded by the MMA community. They are unofficial and do not constitute an assessment of Jeremy Stephens's real-world abilities. How the ratings are made. See the disclaimer below. Ratings and write-ups by Haaris A. Last reviewed 2026-09-30; spot an error? Tell us. Read our editorial standards.