Getty Jeremy Stephens
Former UFC featherweight fighter Jeremy Stephens weighed in on Friday for his upcoming Professional Fighters League match, but it wasn’t without controversy.
The “Lil Heathen” will take on Myles Price during the PFL 4 main card on Friday at the Overtime Elite Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. Stephens is competing in the lightweight division, so on Thursday, he stepped onto the scale in hopes to make the divisional limit of 156 pounds.
Well, he did. But some have pointed out the sketchy nature of Stephen’s weigh-in. Specifically, Stephens’ feet didn’t appear to be fully on the digital scale.
Stephens, who shaved his head and beard ahead of the weigh-in to seemingly knock off some extra weight, stepped on and off the scale multiple times. And when the official called out that the Lil Heathen weighed 156 pounds, his feet were semi-off the scale.
Watch Stephen’s weigh-in below, shared by FanSided’s Amy Kaplan:
#PFL4 official weigh-in results: Jeremy Stephens (@LiLHeathenMMA) 156
“I call bulls*** on that weigh-in, he was NOT standing fully on the scales #PFL4 but, called at 156 pounds,” Kaplan wrote in a separate tweet.
“1000%,” a Twitter user replied to Kaplan. “Step on a scale and move your feet around to the edges. Same with the DC towelgate thing, put a finger on the counter and see how easy it is to shave a few pounds. Scales are meant to be very precise, so it doesn’t take much at all to make them fluctuate.”
“This is terrible,” another wrote. “He even took two practice runs to try different foot placements, but must have been too heavy. Third time was a charm. I wonder how heavy he really is? Have to laugh at shaving his head – he had so little hair to start with that would be pointless.”
Stephens Is a Fan of Having a Quick Turnaround, Fighting Twice in Around 2 Months
Stephens is in pursuit of making the lightweight playoffs. That means Stephens must take out Price within the distance should he want a chance of advancing. He made his PFL debut at the promotion’s first event of the season.
In a fun, back-and-forth scrap, Stephens battled Clay Collared but lost via unanimous decision on April 20. Speaking with the media on Wednesday, Lil Heathen shared his take on the quick turnaround.
“It’s good to get some consistency, coming right back in here. It’s a quick turnaround for me, and I like that,” Stephens said via Cageside Press. “I was able to work on some things that I needed to work on going forward, and after not fighting for a year, to get back in here and do it again, it definitely excites me. I’m very excited, and can’t wait for you guys to see what I’ve been working on.”
Stephens Said Fighting More Frequently Is a ‘Confidence Booster’
Stephens continued with his thoughts about competing twice in two months, comparing the PFL’s schedule with fighting in the UFC.
“It was a big confidence booster, because say you’re fighting in the UFC, you have a Fight of the Year-type candidate like that, you could be fighting seven, eight months, maybe a year down the road,” he noted. “For me, the past two years I only fought once. That’s terrible.”
Stephens, 36, has a professional MMA record of 28-20, with one no contest.