Jeremy Stephens isn't the boxer that Marcus Davis is, but when you're using four ounce gloves, any good puncher has a shot. Stephens was struggling to avoid Davis' jab and couldn't find the veteran for two and half rounds. When he finally did with 2:31 remaining in the fight, he left Davis nearly sleeping on his back. Stephens scored a knockout victory at 2:39 of the third round in the final fight of UFC 125 prelims on ION television.
"My whole goal was to be light on feet, in and out, chase these guys down. They're going to run from me," Stephens told UFC.com. "I gotta be a tiger, hunt my prey. That third round, I was pissed. I knew I had to end it."
This was the fourth loss in five fights for Davis. The former pro boxer was struggling at welterweight so he dropped down to 155 pounds for this one. His smooth boxing gave Stephens lots of trouble in the first two rounds and he was probably heading to unanimous decision win before getting drilled.
Update - Judges Marcos Rosales and Junichiro Kamijo had the fight 1-1, while Glenn Trowbridge had Marcus Davis leading 2-0.
Update II - Stephens one-punch knockout got Knockout of the Night. The bonus was good for $60,000. This is the fourth UFC postfight he's received and his third KO of the Night.
The southpaw Davis (17-8, 9-6 UFC) worked well behind the jab for most of the first two rounds. It helped him land a great left hook in the first that nearly put Stephens out, but he got a little sloppy with the jab late in the second. Davis' cornerman Mark Dellagrotte told him to avoid lazy jabs in the final round. He didn't listen.
When Davis threw a slow right, Stephens timed it perfectly with his own right straight down the pipe. Davis was out on the way down and Stephens vaulted into one more shot with the fallen fighter on his back.
"He was winning. He got me with some takedowns. I was clinching with him a bit. You know, I wanted to wear him out. He was strong, he has old man's strength," said the 24-year-old Stephens.
This was a big win for Stephens (19-6, 6-5 UFC), who was coming off a loss against Melvin Guillard. He had lost 3-of-5 before this victory.
"I started thinking, I don't want to lose a job. I love the UFC. I've been with these guys since the beginning. That third round I was going to get knocked out or knock him out," said Stephens.
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