It was recently reported that Jeremy Stephens left the UFC after being on the promotion’s roster for nearly 15 years. He had 34 fights inside the octagon and was one of the longest contracted fighters. After fulfilling his contract, however, he decided to leave the leading MMA organization in favour of the Professional Fighters League.
During the recent edition of The MMA Hour Stephens told that he asked the UFC for a more favourable matchup as he was fighting tough opponents for two decades. What’s more, he wasn’t satisfied with fighting once a year, as he’s trying to provide for his family, and he can’t do this without regularly competing inside the cage.
When he realized that his UFC contract was up, he researched his options and talked to various organizations but ultimately decided to sign with PFL because of the fights’ frequency and the chance to win a million dollars prize.
He spoke favourably about the PFL and admitted that he will be paid a little bit better than he was during his UFC tenure. Another advantage is that he could fight more frequently as he’s not getting any younger and want to take full advantage of what’s left of his fighting career.
Stephens, who has been part of both UFC lightweight and featherweight divisions, announced that he will participate in the upcoming PFL’s lightweight tournament. This doesn’t mean that he wouldn’t consider switching to another weight class in the future, as he plans to win more than one million dollars by winning other divisions’ tournaments.
He also would like to once again fight former UFC lightweight champion, Anthony Pettis. Their first meeting happened at UFC 136 with Pettis winning by a majority decision. Now, as both fighters are gathered under the PFL banner, the possibility of a rematch is more realistic than ever.
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