Jeremy Stephens’ power cracked the granite facade of Dooho Choi, knocking him to the mat with his powerful right hand.
Stephens (27-14 MMA, 14-13 UFC) earned a TKO over Choi (14-3 MMA, 3-2 UFC) at the 2:36 mark of the second round to pick up his second straight win and advance his argument for title contention.
The featherweight bout was the main event of today’s UFC Fight Night 124 card at Scottrade Center in St. Louis. It aired on FS1 following prelims on FS1 and UFC Fight Pass.
An amped Stephens called out anyone in front of him in the featherweight division, where he’s currently unranked, and specifically mentioned surging up-and-comer Brian Ortega, who this past year upset veteran standout and previous Choi victor Cub Swanson.
“I know he’s here,” Stephens said afterward. “I know a few people coming off a good win. I want to fight everyone in front of me.”
Choi started the engagement by attacking the legs and body of Stephens, who missed early with his vaunted right hand. Repeated leg attacks motivated Stephens to seek revenge, but Choi’s defense remained sound until the midway point of the second, when right hands began to find their mark. None of the shots staggered Choi, however, and he repaid the efforts with more leg kicks and left hand attacks.
A front kick staggered Stephens in the opening seconds of the second frame, prompting him to go on a rampage for revenge. The two swung heavy leather with both landing serious shots. Choi continued to attack Stephens’ lead leg, reddening it. A huge overhand right cracked Choi, and yet, he stayed upright.
That is, until another right slammed into Choi’s head and knocked him to the mat. Stephens pounded away with more huge punches until referee Keith Peterson had seen enough.
Choi suffers his second consecutive loss since a brutal decision loss to Swanson in his previous bout.
Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 124 results include:
- Jeremy Stephens def. Dooho Choi via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 2:36
- Jessica-Rose Clark def. Paige VanZant via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
- Kamaru Usman def. Emil Meek via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Darren Elkins def. Michael Johnson via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 2:22
- James Krause def. Alex White via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Marco Polo Reyes def. Matt Frevola via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 1:00
- Irene Aldana def. Talita Bernardo via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Kyung Ho Kang def. Guido Cannetti via submission (triangle choke) – Round 1, 4:53
- Jessica Eye def. Kalindra Faria via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- J.J. Aldrich def. Danielle Taylor via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Mads Burnell def. Mike Santiago via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
For complete coverage of UFC Fight Night 124, check out the UFC Events section of the site.
(MMAjunkie’s John Morgan contributed to this report on site in St. Louis.)