There was a point in time where Stephens and Yves Edwards were supposed to compete at UFC On FX V, but Stephens would be arrested on the day of the show and an unlikely duo attempted to bail the fighter out.
“Jeremy Stephens was supposed to do a fight on FOX,” Chael Sonnen explained on Ariel & The Bad Guy (via Zane Simon of Bloody Elbow). “The day of that fight, Ariel, he ends up in Jail! I can’t remember what happened; he’s handcuffed, he’s in jail. FOX is like, ‘Look, we’re pulling it.’ Dana says, ‘Oh no you’re not.’ Dana gets in a public fight through social media, says, ‘Jeremy Stephens will be on the card.’ FOX steps in and says, ‘We’re not putting the guy on the card that used to be in jail.’ Dana happened to be doing business with Ronda Rousey. He takes Ronda Rousey, $150,000 in cash, goes down to the jail to get Jeremy Stephens out. Ronda told me that story herself. She said, ‘Yes, it was Dana and I and $150 grand.’ And guess what? They didn’t let him out.”
Stephens didn’t get released from jail on that night and his bout against Edwards was pulled from the card.
Sonnen also questions just how White and Rousey were able to come up with the bail money for Stephens in such a quick fashion.
“But Ariel, picture that for a second. First off, where did he get $150 Gs on the spot? And secondly, Dana and Ronda come walking through the door!? It’s probably going to turn some heads, right? I mean, just picture that image though. ‘Hey, that’s my guy back there, I need him out,’” says Sonnen.
UFC Fight Night Mexico City takes place tonight from the Arena Ciudad De Mexico in Mexico City, Mexico with Yair Rodriguez and Jeremy Stephens headlining. Fightful is providing live coverage of the event, which streams live on ESPN+.
