The six-round boxing match between former UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo and 51-fight MMA veteran Jeremy Stephens ended in a majority draw.
Former UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo and 51-fight MMA veteran Jeremy Stephens faced off in a six-round boxing match at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on Saturday night. The matchup was the featured bout of the Gamebred Boxing 4 pay-per-view broadcast. The two fighters had met once before in the UFC’s octagon, where Aldo had stopped Stephens with a first-round TKO win at UFC on FOX 30 in July 2018.
After retiring from the UFC this past year, Aldo made his second appearance in the squared circle, following a unanimous decision victory at February’s Shooto Brasil Boxing event against Emmanuel Zambrano. Stephens, on the other hand, made his pro boxing debut after going 1-2 with the PFL in 2022. “Lil’ Heathen” had competed 34 times in the UFC, winning 15 of those bouts and finishing eight opponents.
The fight began with Aldo getting a big pop from the crowd, and both fighters showing patience and looking for counters. Throughout the six rounds, Aldo seemed to dominate early on with successful jabs and combinations. Stephens, however, held his own and got more comfortable as the contest progressed, finding success with feints and punches in the later rounds. In the end, despite a fun and competitive match, the fight was scored a majority draw (58-56 for Aldo, 57-57, 57-57).