Jeremy Stephens has a lot on his mind these days but worrying about Jose Aldo retiring from mixed martial arts isn’t one of them.
In the lead up to their featherweight clash on Saturday night, Aldo has spoken openly about his career coming to an end with the conclusion of his current deal with the UFC.
Following the roughest stretch of his legendary career where Aldo has gone just 1-3 in his past four bouts with all three losses coming by way of knockout or TKO, his upcoming bout against Stephens could be a make or break moment for the Brazilian.
A win puts Aldo right back in the thick of the title hunt at 145 pounds but another knockout loss could signify the end of his career sooner rather than later.
Stephens can’t worry about what Aldo will do after their fight is finished but he promises that the former featherweight champion will be looking for answers after suffering his third straight defeat in a row on Saturday night.
“That’s not my problem at the end of the day,” Stephens said when asked about Aldo potentially retiring after their fight. “I plan on putting him on the canvas, taking my checks and going home to figure out what’s next for me, which is brighter and bigger things. He’s had his time. This is my time.
“This is a great stylistic matchup for me. It plays right into my favor. I’m not breakable. You can’t break me. This is going to be an exciting fight for the fans. On paper, we match up really well. I’m looking forward to it. What he decides to do afterwards is up to him, it’s not up to me.”
“The more than I’m throwing in his face, the more that he’s breaking and before long it’s lights out and sweet dreams” ~ Jeremy Stephens
With a pair of losses to current champion Max Holloway and former featherweight king Conor McGregor, Aldo’s aura of invincibility has definitely taken a few hits in recent years.
Of course, Aldo is still a very dangerous fighter with blistering leg kicks and knockout power in both hands.
That being said, Stephens has seen Aldo’s problems in recent fights and he plans on exposing those same issues when they meet at UFC on FOX 30 this weekend.
“Jose’s breakable. He’s been broken twice by Max. Max just has his number. Jose has been on a decline just mentally and physically. I feel like he’s ready to get out of there and I’ll be happy to give him his pink slip and send him on home,” Stephens said.
“I throw a lot more volume than what he’s used to. Same way Max did. We come in shape and we throw to kill so it’s just a matter of time. The more than I’m throwing in his face, the more that he’s breaking and before long it’s lights out and sweet dreams.”
Who wins on Saturday night between Jeremy Stephens and Jose Aldo? Sound off in the comments to let us know!
