Athletes
MASON JONES | TAKE TWO
Returning Welshman Eager To Show His Improvements In Explosive Pairing With Jeremy Stephens
When Mason Jones first touched down in the UFC at the outset of 2021, he was an undefeated prospect, sporting a 10-0 record that included winning the Cage Warriors lightweight and welterweight titles in his last two appearances before stepping into the Octagon for the first time.
Over the next 18 months, the Welsh standout would compete four times, amassing a 1-2 record with one no contest, reaching the end of his first contract, where he opted to head back to the regional circuit in order to work on some things that needed addressing and give himself a better opportunity to make the most of the second chance that he was certain he would earn.
Looking at that four-fight initial run, there are ways positives to pull from it and context to be added to the end result.
RELATED: Belal Muhammad Goes Down Memory Lane | UFC 315
The two men that beat Jones, Mike Davis and Ludovit Klein, went a combined 6-0-1 over their next seven fights, with Klein still yet to having lose since prior to that contest and Davis’winning ways only coming to an end earlier this year. The no contest came in a bout against Alan Patrick where Jones was dominating the Brazilian, only for the fight to be halted and waved off a little over two minutes into the second round when an accidental eye poke rendered Patrick unable to continue.
A 2-2 record reads differently than what Jones left with, and the fact he was edged out by Davis and he and Klein continued their winning ways after those encounters could be viewed as a silver lining of sorts if you were inclined to look at things that way.
Jones, for the record, is not.
“I just think no one gives a f***!” Said Jones, who makes his return to the Octagon this weekend in a highly combustible matchup with Iowa native Jeremy Stephens as the UFC touches down at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines for the first time. “No one gives a f***! No one cares.
RELATED: UFC Partners With Local Youth Jiu-Jitsu Organizations In Los Angeles
“People may think that what the fans think doesn’t matter, but of course it does, because these are all the things people take on. We are products at the end of the day, and the best, most successful products are the ones that sell out arenas. These win streaks are important because it’s what drags people in, as well as the finishes and some other things.
“For me, it’s easy to say, ‘I’m 17-1 or 18-0 because I think I won the Mike Davis fight, I beat Alan Patrick, and the Ludovit Klein fight was my fight to lose,’ but there are three judges cageside and if it goes to them, they are the gods who decide who wins, and they decided I lost two fights, and it is what it is.
“It’s all about doing it right this time,” he added. "I’m more mature, I feel stronger, I’m hitting harder, my gas tank is good. For me, it is all about going into this fight and showing that I deserve to be here.”
Jones, who turned 30 over the weekend, has done everything an athlete can do outside the UFC to show that he merits another opportunity to compete on the biggest stage in the sport.
FOLLOW @UFCNEWS: On Facebook | On Instagram | On X | On Threads
Injuries delated his return to action following his initial tour of duty with the MMA leader, but once he returned, “The Dragon” picked up where he left off in Cage Warriors. He scored stoppage wins in July and October to go 2-0 in 2023 before adding another finish in February and a unanimous decision win in July in a bout where he absolutely dominated for all three rounds to push his record to 4-0 since returning to the respected European promotion.
Along the way, the opportunities to return started to bubble up, but nothing officially came together until now, leaving Jones to simply continue doing everything in his power to ensure that he’s ready to make the most of this second opportunity that begins on Saturday.
“It’s been a long time coming,” began Jones, detailing the different times the door cracked open a little on a possible UFC return. “March last year, I had a nod about a possible short-term fight. We accepted after I fought in San Diego, and then there were delays with the whole visa situation because my visa hadn’t been approved, so that ended up knocking us back.
“Then I accepted to fight in Paris on short-term. Obviously, that went to a rostered fighter first, they accepted. I was ready for China, I was ready for another card after that, and another one after that, and nothing come up. I accepted February 2nd on five days, they declined, and here we are.
Order UFC 315: Muhammad vs Della Maddalena
“For me, it is what it is, and I’ve just been getting better and better and better,” he added. “It was always gonna be a goal to come back, but we took our time. I decided whether we wasgoing this route or somewhere else first, and yeah, it’s just the way it worked out and I’m super-excited to go out there and show my improvements.”
If he’s super-excited to show his improvements, then Jones is mega-stoked about the matchup with Stephens, who is also returning to the promotion after a bit of an absence, and will be fighting before a partisan crowd in his home state.
Having heard Jones speak previously about wanting to be the visiting side in a fist fight in a previous interview, I asked him how satisfying it will be to roll into Des Moines and walk out to face the returning Stephens on his home pitch.
His eyes lit up.
UFC Des Moines Free Fights: Figueiredo vs Garbrandt | Sandhagen vs Moraes
“I can’t wait ’til someone spits on me!” He blurted out, a booming laugh attached to the end of his words. “I can’t wait! It’s like a free shower on the way in; I can’t wait!
“I don’t take things like that personally,” Jones continued. “When I say this, people think I’m being sarcastic, but I genuinely don’t care. I hope they boo so loud because, at the end of the day, I’m literally going to ruin so many people’s nights because I’m going to beat the absolute brakes off him.”
Despite having last competed in the Octagon over three years ago, Stephens remains one of the most experienced competitors to ever grace the UFC cage. He sits in a tie for seventh alongside Neil Magny for the most appearances, having made the walk 34 times in the past, and forged a reputation as a dangerous brawler and notoriously tough out over a career split between lightweight and featherweight that included bouts against some of the best in each weight class.
Over the last couple years, “Lil’ Heathen” has only further bolstered his reputation as a knockout threat and elevated his overall profile by making a smooth transition into bare knuckle boxing, where he’s posted a 3-0 mark with Bare Knuckle FC, bookending a decision win over Bobby Taylor with stoppages of fellow UFC vets Jimmie Rivera and Eddie Alvarez.
READ: Where We Stand: Featherweight Division | April 2025
None of that matters to Jones.
“I have literally said through this camp ‘Jeremy is my mountain,’ and, to him, I’m a molehill, and I am so excited because I’m gonna snap him off at the shins!” he said, the excitement still evident in his eyes. “He’s gonna trip so hard over me, and I’ll be happy enough to burn him away, spread the ashes, and he can retire off to whatever he does.
“Jeremy’s not gonna go out there and wrestle; he counter-wrestles. Jeremy is not gonna go out there and start throwing these mad kicks. We’re gonna go out there and strike lumps into each other, and if he thinks it’s gonna be a bare knuckles scrap and I’m just gonna go out there and throw hands with him, he’s got (another thing) coming.
“The first thing I’m gonna do is elbow him straight in the face,” continued Jones, who made note of Stephens’ power and durability, citing the punishment he endured in bouts against Calvin Kattar and Yair Rodriguez. “I’m kicking him — I’m kicking his legs, I’m kicking his head, I’m kicking his knees; slowing him down, stalling him. I just think my range, my timing is gonnabe too good for him.
RECAP UFC KANSAS CITY: Fight Card | Prelim Results | Main Card Results | Official Scorecards
“But (what I think) doesn’t matter,” he added. “I’ve just got to go out there and show it.”
It’s that little addendum at the end of his excitement that truly underscores the growth and maturation that has occurred for Jones in the time between his first cup of coffee with the UFC and the start of his second tour of duty on Saturday.
Not that he didn’t recognize or understand that proving himself was important the first time around, but like everyone that reached the big stage with an unblemished record and having enjoyed a great amount of success, there is a little bit of an expectation that it’s just going to happen… until it doesn’t.
And this time, Jones has zero expectations and is only focused on proving himself this weekend.
Saturday's Fight By Fight Preview
“I’ve just got to get it done,” he said when asked how sweet a victory would taste. “Like I’ve said, Jeremy is a mountain to me, and I’m not gonna look at the sunrise until I get to the top because everyone looks at what’s next, but it’s like, deal with the Goliath that’s in front of you before you start worrying about what else is there.”
Less than a week before the fight, Jones summed up his feelings on the whole experience of the last couple years by posting a single cell from a comic book that featured Moon Knight and Spiderman, with the former trying to convince the latter that he was The Silver Surfer, only for everyone’s favorite web-slinger responding, “F*** off, Moon Knight, I’m not falling for that again.”
He laughed when I asked about it, but then expounded on its deeper meaning to him.
“I’ve been here, I’ve done this, this isn’t new; I’m just gonna go out there and do my thing,” Jones said. “I’m undefeated in Cage Warriors and every time I’ve gone back, I’m there — I step in and I’m fully switched on. If I can do that in the UFC and settle in the way I want to settle in, I will be a champion one day, 100 percent, because I just beat people.
View Mason Jones' Athlete Profile
“I think this fight is gonna be the start of my emergence,” he added. “You don’t get a third bite at the cherry, and this is my second bite.
“This is my dream, so do it f****** right!”
UFC Fight Night: Sandhagen vs Figueiredo took place live from Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa on May 3, 2025. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
Tags