FightPastor.com readers, we have an EXCLUSIVE interview with Jeremy Stephens, MMA Fighter out of Des Moines, Iowa.  He rarely gives interviews, but he took precious time out of his training schedule to chat with us.  He’ll be on the opening bout of the UFC 113 main card on May 8^th facing off against Sam Stout.  Don’t miss this fight, if you’re in the Seattle area, come watch UFC 113 with the whole Fight Pastor crew!

FightPastor.com: Jeremy, thanks for taking time to talk with us, I know you’re busy training for your fight.  Are things escalating for you right now, or are they finally slowing down a bit?  What happens as you’re getting ready for a fight?

Jeremy Stephens:  Right now, I’m still at my two-a-days.  This morning I hit some pads and did a good, intense conditioning workout.  I’ve been on this program, Martin Rooney, he’s a trainer on the east coast … I’ve never met the guy, but I got his book through a friend of mine.  I’ve been doing his eight-week program; I’m on week eight right now, and it’s a good, intense workout.  I’ve never felt as good as I feel going into a fight as I do now.  It’s really helped out my mental, too.

FP.com:  It doesn’t seem like you give interviews to the MMA media or the sports media very often.  What made you decide to talk to us before your fight with Sam Stout at UFC 113?

Stephens: Pastor Brandon seems like a nice guy, and I don’t really talk to the media much; they’re always asking the same questions.  He said a good prayer for me, and I just felt comfortable talking to you guys.  I do go to church, and I’m a huge fan of God, and I have great faith.  So I just thought, “What better place to do an interview than with you guys?”

FP.com: I’m glad to hear that!  Switching gears, you’ve earned “Knockout of the Night” bonuses twice in your fights, and you’ve got serious jiu-jitsu skills as well, with a couple submission victories on your record.  Sam Stout has won “Fight of the Night” bonuses four times as well.  What kind of a war are fans going to be able to look forward to on the 8^th?

Stephens: Expect to see the best Jeremy Stephens you’ve ever seen.  My loss to Spencer Fisher was earlier in my career, and the Joe Lauzon fight I took on 12 days’ notice, so I’m looking to get both of those losses back.  I’m not looking past Stout at all, he’s a great opponent and always pumped up to fight.  He shows great class, he has good energy, and I’m just going to go in there and bang it out with him.  I’m always looking for the knockout, and I’m looking forward to it being a great fight, which is why I’m training so hard.  I know he’s going to be in great shape, I know he’s going to come on strong on his home turf, so I gotta come on twice as strong!

FP.com: Man, I know I’m excited about it! The Machida / Shogun fight is going to be a war, too, but yours is the one I’m looking forward to right after that.

Stephens: Thanks, I appreciate that.

FP.com:  You mentioned the fight with Joe Lauzon at UFC 108 and that you took it on short notice.  Did you say it was 12 days?

Stephens: Yeah, I got the call on 12 days’ notice, exactly.

FP.com: So what happened going into that match?  He caught you with an armbar, and it looked like you were kinda struggling with him pretty much for the whole fight.  Were you just not ready for it?  It was great that you took the match on short notice, but …

Stephens:  Not too many people know, but I wasn’t training properly, I wasn’t in the gym like I should have been.  It was a hard lesson learned.  I just went in there on a couple fights, just on raw ability.  I didn’t have coaches saying, “You shouldn’t take that fight. You just got a ‘Knockout of the Night’ and a great win.  You’ve got Escudero five weeks later.”  I just wasn’t around the right people at the time, I wasn’t focused, I wasn’t being the person I should have been.  That played a factor.  I was just in there, I was swinging a little wildly, I was out of shape.  You could just tell.  It was a hard lesson learned, but I’ve moved on from it, I’ve learned from it, which is why I’m real excited to fight Stout, and definitely get that loss back.

FP.com: There you go.  You know, Dana White loves those guys that step up and take fights on short notice like that, so you might have gotten a loss, but it probably did quite a bit for your stock with him.

Stephens: Yeah, he’s a great guy, you know? He just likes guys that fight.  A lot of these guys, they want to pick and choose their battles.  When [Matchmaker] Joe Silva hits me up and he’s like, “Hey, you’re fighting this guy,” I’m like, “Great.”  I love to fight, this is my job.  I don’t care who I fight, you know? It doesn’t bother me.  I just want to keep winning, get up in the ranks, and get that title shot soon.

FP.com: You started training in mixed martial arts at 16.  I’ve heard a lot of stories from guys saying their parents disapproved.  What was it that first attracted you to MMA, and did your parents have any struggles with that choice?

Stephens:  What got me into martial arts was my grandfather and my uncle.  My uncle was a college wrestler, and he found out about the UFC.  His dad was a big fan of his career and all throughout college.  The UFC started getting big back in the early 90’s.  I had a broken home, so I was always staying with my grandparents, in and out of their house.  Me and my grandfather, we’d always go down to the basement, watching tape after tape, and I just fell in love with the sport.  I’d been in a few fist fights and stuff like that growing up, just to protect myself.  But I saw that organization, and felt that’s what I really wanted to do.  I was involved in other sports too, baseball was a real big thing for me, but fighting just intrigued me a ton.  That’s pretty much where it all based from.

FP.com: I’ve heard that you’re a Dad now, you just had a daughter, is that correct?

Stephens: Yeah, she’s going to be one year old on the 7^th, the day I weigh in.

FP.com: Has that changed the way you handle any of your training now?

Stephens:  Yeah, of course.  You know, back home, I wasn’t always putting myself around the right people, kind of like a Mike Tyson thing.  You’re young, you’re blowing up, you’re getting big paydays.  People see you on TV; it’s just real hard and I had a hard time trying to focus.  But with my daughter, you know, it just turned into a family base.  I’m constantly at home, helping her learn and being involved, and interacting with her a lot, which is why I made the move to San Diego.  I was in and out of here for training camps for two years, and I felt, man, this is the spot. These guys are great, they don’t ask nothing from me. They push me.  I felt a total revolution when I came here.  That’s part of the reason why I made the move, for my daughter and for my family … to separate myself, get away from the negative people and the bad management I was around. Ever since I’ve been here, I’ve seen blessings and blessings come my way.  It’s really been great for me.

FP.com: A lot of the guys I’ve talked to, as soon as they start making it big, people start coming out of the woodwork and everybody wants something from you.  Having a good base around you is so important for keeping your head straight, you know?

Stephens: Yeah, exactly.  That’s why I like to stay out of the media and the limelight, people want ask me questions, and shout-out bonuses, and things like that. It kind of bothers me, people watching my money and what I’m involved in.  I’d rather just stay away and be a family man.  If it has to do with interviews for the UFC or something like that, I’m more than happy to do that, but it just gets to be too much for me, and it’s frustrating.

FP.com: I totally know what you mean.  Plus, you’ve gotta keep focused on the fighting, that’s what it’s all about.

Stephens: Yeah, exactly.  People can talk and hype stuff up, but at the end of the day, whether it’s a big show or small show, I’ve still gotta go out there and perform and do my job.

FP.com: Have you seen the video that’s going around of Jens Pulver’s kid training like his dad does?

Stephens: No, I haven’t!

FP.com: If you’re on Facebook at all, you’ve gotta check that out, it’s pretty hysterical.  He posted this video, and now all of the media’s picking up on it, saying he’s training for UFC 329 or something like that.  It’s crazy.

Stephens: That’s cool.  Yeah, I got to train with Jens Pulver man, he’s an incredibly nice guy.

FP.com: Yeah, I like him a lot.  How would you feel if your kids wanted to get into MMA, follow in their Dad’s footsteps?

Stephens: You know what?  I actually would!  I think martial arts teaches discipline, it teaches structure, in and outside of the ring. You gotta let them know they can’t be using that unless it’s self-defense or someone’s picking on you, but I think martial arts is a very disciplined art.  I think it builds structure inside a home, and it’s good discipline for a kid to learn.  If they want to learn that at a young age, then I think they’ll grow up to be great people.

FP.com: Those are all the questions I have for you, I know you’re busy training for your fight, so I’ll wrap it up now.  How can your fans keep in touch with you?

Stephens: Yeah, I’ve got Facebook, Myspace, and I’ve got a website at http://www.lilheathenmma.com.  I post blogs and all types of stuff like that, links to my sponsors and everything.

FP.com: I saw you’ve been doing a lot of video blogging. Is that something you’re big into?

Stephens: Yeah, plus it’s just kind of a way to keep people posted on what I’m doing, and how life’s going for me.  It’s been fun doing these videos and we’ve been getting great feedback so far. And there’s more to come, too.

FP.com: Thanks again for talking with us, Jeremy.  Looking forward to seeing you and Stout go at it next weekend.  We’ll all be cheering you on over here!

Stephens: I appreciate it man, thank you very much!

For more blogs and exclusives check out www.fightpastor.com.