Drakkar Klose

UFC books Jeremy Stephens – Mateusz Gamrot

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Jeremy Stephens

The UFC has finalized a lightweight matchup that will take place in July. MMA Junkie was the first to report today that the promotion has finalized a matchup between Jeremy Stephens (28-18, 1 NC) and Mateusz Gamrot (18-1, 1 NC).

The contest will take place at a UFC Fight Night on July 17th. Last night we also learned that Islam Makhachev – Thiago Moises will also be on the July 17th Fight Night. This fight is a big fight for Mateusz Gamrot.

The former KSW lightweight champion will be making just his third appearance in the UFC. Gamrot made his debut back in October and the Polish lightweight suffered his first career loss. He lost by split decision to Guram Kutateladze on Fight Island.

Gamrot bounced back in April when he knocked out Scott Holtzman in the second round of their fight. Jeremy Stephens still has a big name and a decent following so this is a huge spot for the UFC newcomer. A win over Stephens would likely get him someone in the top fifteen.

UFC return for Lil Heathen

Jeremy Stephens will be making his lightweight return on July 17th. However, he was supposed to make his lightweight return last month. Stephens was set to take on Drakkar Klose (11-2-1) just a few weeks ago.

Both men weighed in, but everything went south at the pre-fight faceoffs. Stephens shoved Klose and he shoved him so hard that there was whiplash which caused Klose to suffer a concussion.

After a rough night dealing with those symptoms, the UFC called off the fight. It was an extremely stupid move by Stephens and ended up costing him a payday. Now, he’s getting a new opponent.

Originally, the promotion was going to book Klose and Stephens again, but have decided to move in a different direction. Now, Stephens will try to snap his four-fight losing streak against a very hungry challenger in Mateusz Gamrot. Should be a good one on July 17th.

UFC Vegas 24 Preview: Jeremy Stephens – Drakkar Klose

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Jeremy Stephens

In the co-main event of tonight’s UFC Vegas 24 event, we are going to see an absolute banger in the lightweight division. Top contenders square off as Jeremy Stephens (28-18, 1 NC) takes on Drakkar Klose (11-2-1).

For Klose, this is the first time we are seeing him since UFC 248. That night, he took on Beneil Dariush. After a back and forth first, Klose hurt Dariush bad in the second round. However, he overextended himself trying to finish and Dariush hurt him bad.

Dariush ended up pushing forward and getting the knockout. Had Klose won that fight, he might’ve been looking at a top ten opponent in the lightweight division next. That loss snapped a three-fight win streak in the UFC.

Standing across from Klose tonight is Lil Heathen, Jeremy Stephens. Jeremy Stephens has been known as one of the more powerful strikers in the lighter divisions of the UFC for a very long time. He’s always been a fringe top contender, but he never got to a title shot.

Right now, he’s in arguably the worst stretch of his career. In 2018, Stephens had a shot with Jose Aldo. Had he won that fight, he could have had a title shot coming. However, Stephens was stopped by Aldo in the first round.

Starting with that fight, Stephens is 0-4, 1 NC in his last five UFC appearances. He’s moving back to lightweight after years at featherweight and if he loses tonight, his job could be at risk.

UFC Vegas 24 Preview

I think this is a fantastic matchup and I’m looking forward to these two striking. When it comes to UFC Vegas 24, I’m really going to be watching the range and how well Stephens is able to close the distance.

We know that Jeremy Stephens can fight with a lot of forward pressure, but sometimes, he can get picked apart from the outside. I believe that Klose has a big advantage if this fight stays at distance.

Stephens has the power to put Klose out with one shot. However, I’m not sure he’s going to land that shot at UFC Vegas 24. At the end of the day, I think this fight is going to be very close, but I see Drakkar Klose landing more from the outside and edging a decision tonight.

Prediction: Drakkar Klose by Split Decision

UFC books Jeremy Stephens – Drakkar Klose

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Jeremy Stephens

The UFC has booked a fun lightweight matchup for April. MMA Junkie was the first to report yesterday that the promotion was finalizing a lightweight matchup between Jeremy Stephens (28-18, 1 NC) and Drakkar Klose (11-2-1).

The proposed matchup will take place at a UFC Fight Night on April 17th in the APEX. For Jeremy Stephens, the fight marks a return to lightweight for the first time since 2012. Stephens had been a fixture of the featherweight division for about the past eight years.

“Lil Heathen” is actually still ranked inside the top ten of the UFC‘s featherweight division. However, the weight cut has never been easy for Stephens. He has missed weight a couple of times and talked openly about moving back up to lightweight one day.

Now, that day is upon us. Stephens has hit a tough stretch over the last few years. After going on a run at featherweight, the UFC gave him former champion, Jose Aldo. Had Stephens won that fight, he could’ve had a title shot. However, Stephens was finished in the first round.

Starting with the Jose Aldo fight, Stephens is 0-4, 1 NC in his last five appearances inside the octagon. Granted, he’s lost to some of the best that the promotion has to offer. Stephens is ready for a change of scenery and he has a fun dance partner for his return to the UFC‘s lightweight division.

UFC lightweight matchup

If there’s a fighter that’s truly just on the fringe of the UFC lightweight rankings, it’s Drakkar Klose. Since making his debut with the promotion back in 2017, Klose is 5-2 with his only losses coming to David Teymur and Beneil Dariush.

In his last fight, Klose was stopped by Dariush. However, Klose had Dariush hurt bad in the second round. Klose was the one pursuing the finish when he was caught with some shots that backed up him. Ultimately, Dariush found the shot that closed the show.

By the time of this fight, it would have been over a year since we’ve seen Klose in the octagon. Have to imagine he’s been working hard to tighten some things up. If he can pickup the win against Jeremy Stephens, I would say it’s a safe bet to expect him in the UFC rankings.