Jeremy Stephens further derailed Doo Ho Choi’s hype train with a second-round knockout in the main event of UFC St Louis on Sunday night.
Choi bloodied the nose of the ninth ranked UFC featherweight in the first round, but Stephens’ toughness once again proved to be one of his most valuable assets as he rallied to secure his second straight win.
Speaking after the contest, Stephens looked to align himself with unbeaten featherweight contender, Brian Ortega.
Jeremy Stephens defeated Doo Ho Choi in the main event of UFC St Louis
Stephens sustained a bloody nose in the first round but fought back to beat the South Korean
‘Brian Ortega, I know he’s here. I know he’s coming off a big win. I want to fight everybody that’s in front of me,’ he said.
Stephens rocked ‘Korean Superboy’ with a crisp right hand after checking a leg kick in the second round. Already feeling the effects of the first shot, Stephens dropped Choi to the floor with a right hook as he followed up the attack.
Following his opponent to the ground, Stephens landed three elbows to Choi’s head before the referee stepped in to stop the action.
In the co-main event, Jessica-Rose Clark scored convincing decision win over flyweight debutant, Paige VanZant.
Clark controlled the first two rounds, and in her corner before the third round began, VanZant reported a broken arm that she had suffered in the first round.
Despite a spirited attempt in the striking exchanges in the third despite her damaged limb, the Australian restored dominance once the fight hit the ground.
Clark revealed that her house was burgled while she was in St Louis during fight week. In her post-fight interview, she claimed that her cat was killed in the robbery and over $30,000 (£22,000) worth of her belongings were stolen.
Jessica-Rose Clark scored convincing decision win over flyweight debutant, Paige VanZant
VanZant reported a broken arm sustained in the first round of her fight against Clark
Kamaru Usman declared that he was ‘at 30 per cent’ after adding to the longest winning streak in the UFC’s welterweight division, scoring an 11th consecutive win over Norwegian, Emil Meek.
Despite his ongoing online feud with surging Scouser Darren Till, ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ called for a showdown with polarizing American, Colby Covington, in his post-fight interview.
Usman underlined why he would make an intriguing style match-up for Till’s striking capabilities as he dominated ‘Valhalla’ from bell to bell with his wrestling. On numerous occasions, Usman slammed the powerful frame of Meek onto the contest with takedowns.
Darren Elkins collected his sixth consecutive win over Michael Johnson to open the main card.
‘The Damage’ followed the script he wrote in his comeback win over Mirsad Bektic at UFC 209, bouncing back from losing the first round to score a submission win over Johnson, who made his debut as a UFC featherweight on he night.
Darren Elkins collected his sixth consecutive win over Michael Johnson to open the main card
After struggling at the end of Johnson’s punches in the first, Elkins forced the action to his world with a takedown in the second. The Team Alpha Male fighter secured a choke after some hand fighting to continue his stellar run.
Speaking after the bout, Elkins claimed that he wanted to fight in a number one contender bout to secure a shot at the 145-pound title, which is up for grabs at UFC 222 in March when champion Max Holloway looks to make his second defence against Frankie Edgar.