Jeremy Stephens is making a return the UFC.
Stephens, who has felt the wrath of Conor McGregor several times in his fighting career, has reunited with the UFC for a home city bout on May 3.
The 38-year-old has not competed in MMA since November 2022 and has not fought in the UFC since he departed the promotion in July 2021.
After the UFC, a promotion he fought in for over 14 years, Stephens lost two of his three bouts in the PFL before he explored the world of boxing, with gloves and without.
He drew with MMA legend Jose Aldo in a 2023 boxing bout before losing to Chris Avila and signing with the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC).
BKFC is co-owned by former two-division champion McGregor, and the Irishman came face-to-face with Stephens after the latter defeated Eddie Alvarez at KnuckleMania 5 in January.
In doing so, McGregor teased combat sports fans that he would be making his debut for the bare knuckle boxing league.
“Who the f*** is this guy,” McGregor said as he faced off with Stephens after the bout, referencing his famous UFC encounter with him nine years ago.
In 2016, McGregor went viral after producing one of the greatest one-liners in UFC history when responding to Stephens saying he was the ‘hardest-hitting’ fighters in the 145-pound division.
His famous ‘who the f*** is that guy’ came ahead of UFC 205, where McGregor eventually knocked out Alvarez to become the promotion’s first fighter to hold two belts simultaneously.
“Let’s make a date, let’s set a date,” McGregor added when facing off with Stephens in January, teasing a BKFC debut.
“Who’s going to stop me man to man? No one is going to stop me. David [Feldman] (BKFC founder) make the date and let’s do it.”
Stephens will fight another returning fighter at 155lbs in Mason Jones at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines for UFC Iowa on May 3.
Deiveson Figueiredo faces Cory Sandhagen in the headline act of the card, while Reinier De Ridder fights Bo Nickal in the co-main event.
UFC fans were quick to react to Stephens’ imminent return to the Octagon.
One took to X and said: “The UFC is setting up Conor McGregor‘s comeback…”
Another added: “When the hell did Jeremy Stephens get back in the UFC?”
A third responded: “Who the f*** is that guy is back!”
While a fourth said: “It’s utterly hilarious how the UFC just went and snatched Stephens back from McGregor.”
McGregor hasn’t fought in the Octagon since July 2021, when he broke his leg in a trilogy bout against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264.
It was the second time ‘The Notorious’ has lost to Poirier in 2021 after returning to the UFC to beat Donald Cerrone in his first fight since losing his famous title fight to Khabib Nurmagomedov in 2018.
