It’s been more than four years since Jeremy Stephens scored a knockout, and he’s longing for one.
Stephens (29-20-1) snapped his seven-fight winless streak when he edged out Myles Price in June. While getting back to the win column is great, it’s not enough for Stephens, who is known for his fight-ending power.
The UFC alum will look to earn that knockout he’s yearning for when he meets Natan Schulte (22-5-1) at the 2022 PFL Championships, which take place Friday at Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York. The main card streams on ESPN+ pay-per-view (8 p.m. ET) after the undercard on ESPN+ (6 p.m. ET).
“I just feel like my soul is thirsty for a knockout,” Stephens told MMA Junkie Radio. “‘The Heathen’ is just raging. With these performances and the losses, I really dealt with a lot, and the last fight was just getting the win. My coach even said, ‘I’ve never seen somebody so upset about a win.’ But that’s just the type of man I am. I want to go in there, I want to collect souls, I want to put people’s lights out and leave a legacy.”
Stephens takes inspiration from one of the sports most devastating knockout artists Anthony Johnson, who unexpectedly died this past week.
“It’s not even about fighting. Look at my buddy Anthony Johnson,” Stephens said. “I’m just inspired by so many people’s lives that he touched and not even people are talking about his fighting. I mean, literally, the guy knocked people out so they don’t f*cking move, right? If there’s really somebody out there like that, it’s probably him that I always looked up to.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for the 2022 PFL Championships.
