Mason Jones knew he wasn’t going to make many fans going up against a local favorite like Jeremy Stephens but he still put on a show before turning to his grappling for the final five minutes to secure the win at UFC Des Moines.
The British born fighter was more than ready to trade bombs with Stephens as the lightweights both left the octagon with a few new scars. Still, Jones’ relentless pressure and volume strikes combined with well-timed grappling dominance led him to the shutout victory with all three judges giving him the fight with 30-27 scorecards.
“I wanted to go out there and strike with him,” Jones said after the win. “He’s a legend. I’m sorry about that last round, I had to get the job done.”
Jones showed no fear stepping into the lion’s den with Stephens as he repeatedly fired off head kicks and then went low with some nasty leg kicks as well. Stephens was firing back with his heavy hands including a stiff straight right that snapped Jones’ jaw around.
Still, Jones was relentless with his pressure, chipping away at Stephens with a variety of strikes. The non-stop attacks from Jones really kept Stephens guessing and he was struggling to really get much offense going.
Late in the opening round, Jones scored a takedown and a near submission with a rear-naked choke but Stephens survived to the horn.
After the reset, Jones was surging but Stephens was welcoming a brawl as he kept unloading huge hooks and uppercuts in an attempt to score the knockout with one shot. Jones continued his assault with a nasty spinning back elbow and a cut emerged on Stephens’ face that had blood pouring down his face.
It was almost like that was exactly what Stephens needed because he uncorked a huge shot that blasted Jones and sent his mouthpiece flying out. While Jones recovered well, he definitely had to show caution because Stephens was clearly still very dangerous.
With a definite advantage on the ground, Jones secured another takedown to start the third round, which earned him a loud chorus of boos from the Iowa faithful. While Stephens defended well and tried to scramble free, Jones just stayed on top of him and eventually looked for a kimura, although he couldn’t quite snatch the submission.
Even when Stephens was able to briefly get back to his feet, Jones immediately dragged him back down again and time was running out on the Des Moines’ native. When the horn sound there was no doubt that Jones had done enough to win, although Stephens definitely made a good account of himself in his UFC return.
Following the win, Jones mentioned potentially competing again in July in Saudi Arabia while Stephens is free to do whatever he wants next after only inking a one-fight deal for the chance to compete at home in Iowa in the UFC.
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