UFC 249: Jeremy Stephens wants ‘a knockout faster than Jorge Masvidal’ against Calvin Kattar
- Featherweight Stephens wants to break three-fight losing streak by ‘making it look easy’ against Kattar
- Stephens compares himself to retired NBA star Charles Barkley and intends to put Kattar on his ‘highlight reel’
UFC featherweight contender Jeremy Stephens (28-17, one no contest) says he would like to knock out UFC 249 opponent Calvin Kattar (20-4) faster than the promotion’s record of five-seconds – held by Jorge Masvidal.
“A knockout faster than Masvidal and me fighting in the cage three days later,” the 33-year-old Stephens said at the UFC 249 virtual media day when asked what his ideal fight outcome would be this weekend.
“I’m going to showcase my will to win, my heart, my balls … also I feel like a lot of people are writing me off in this fight. They're taking Kattar's side. I've dreamed of him beating me, of being hit 10 feet away – I've trained for a monster.”
Stephens is on a three-fight losing streak and has not won since beating Josh Emmett in 2018. His fight with Kattar had been scheduled twice in the past.
“If you've ever seen me lost I come back better. The people will be saying ‘damn that's the best he's looked’. You'll be shocked when I go out there and make it look easy,” said Stephens, who lost to Yair Rodriguez last October.