Tag Archives: Jeremy Stephens

UFC on Fox 28: Jeremy Stephens vs. Josh Emmett Odds and Prediction

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Jeremy Stephens faces Josh Emmett in the main event of UFC on Fox 28 on February 24th, 2018 at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida.

The event was supposed to be headlined by Yoel Romero and David Branch but the former was promoted to the UFC 221 main event after the injury to UFC middleweight champion Robert Whitaker.

When this fight was booked, Stephens was just days removed from a second round knockout of Doo Ho Choi at UFC St. Louis. He took the fight, not just to stay busy but keep himself alive in the title hunt. Emmett is coming off the biggest win of his career, a first round knockout win over Ricardo Lamas at UFC on Fox 26.

Stephens is 26-14 overall and has won just half of his last ten fights. On the other hand, Josh Emmett is 13-1 and owns five victories in his last six bouts. His only loss has been a close split decision loss to Desmond Green at UFC 210.

The Odds

Stephens is the slight -160 favorite at Bovada, while Emmett is listed as the mild underdog at +130.

This one could go either way really. Stephens is the slightly bigger fighter here so the size advantage is with him. Li’l Heathen also possesses more punching power, as he can end things with just one punch and in one blink of an eye.

But Josh Emmett is the better all around fighter here. He can a deep wrestling background, is an excellent grappler and can defend intelligently on his feet. He is fundamentally sound and has the better fight IQ than Stephens. Whatever his opponent brings to the fight, he can make adjustments and win.

Good Defensive Instincts

Stephens main problem here is that his opponent has good defensive instincts which enables him to avoid any serious trouble on his feet. Emmett is going to wrestle, grapple and wear down Stephens, take away his ability to finish the fight and force him to win another way.

Josh Emmett is going to limit Jeremy Stephens’ punching power and is going to take this fight to the ground where Li’l Heathen is not comfortable. If he fights smart, he’s not going to get hit with the big bombs and he’s going to pull off the upset. We’re picking Josh Emmett to win this fight by unanimous decision.

UFC Fight Night 124: Jeremy Stephens vs. Doo Ho Choi Odds and Prediction

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A barn burner of a fight is expected when resident featherweight contenders Jeremy Stephens and Doo Ho Choi square off in the main event of UFC Fight Night 124 on January 14th, 2018 at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri.

Hit or Miss

Stephens has been hit or miss lately, winning six of eleven bouts since moving down from lightweight to featherweight in 2013. Currently ranked 8th in the UFC’s 145 pound division, Stephens owns notable wins over former UFC bantamweight Renan Barao, Dennis Bermudez and Darren Elkins. Li’l Heathen is coming off an impressive Fight of the Night performance over Gilbert Melendez at UFC 215.

Choi has not fought since his Fight of the Year worthy slugfest with Cub Swanson at UFC 205 last December. During that fight, Swanson handed Choi his first ever MMA loss and stopped a string of KO wins by the Korean SuperBoy. Choi was scheduled to face Andrei Fili at UFC 214 but was forced to pull out of that contest because of an injury. He is currently the 12th ranked featherweight in the UFC despite his inactivity.

Stephens’ Inconsistency

The Korean Superboy is the slight favorite in this bout at -185 while Li’l Heathen came back as the underdog at +160. Stephens has not recorded back to back wins since since 2014 and his inconsistency is perhaps the reason why he is the underdog in this fight.

When he is in good form, Stephens is an aggressive striker who can take a beating and yet pull off a victory. He’ll his hands full against an equally dynamic striker who most probably has more punching power than him. Choi is both a violent and accurate striker. Despite being one of the young fighters in the division, he can hold his own against veteran opponents.

Avoiding The Canvass

No question Jeremy Stephens cam match Choi in a striking battle. Not only does he have the striking arsenal to match the Korean Superboy, he is also the more well rounded fighter here. Stephens may opt to take this fight to the ground, where he has recorded a total of 27 takedowns in his UFC career.

The Korean isn’t as good on the ground as his opponent. If Choi avoids getting taken down, he’s got a good shot at an upset here. If not, it may be tough to beat a savvy veteran like Stephens. Stephens is well aware of Choi’s limitations on the ground. He’ll drag Choi to the floor early and wear him down before taking it to the Korean late in the fight. We’re picking Jeremy Stephens to win via unanimous decision.