A match-up between Jeremy Stephens and Drakkar Klose was canned at the last minute on Saturday after it was confirmed that Klose suffered a neck injury and concussion after he was PUSHED by Stephens during a pre-fight staredown.
Featherweight slugger Stephens, known to many as the man who was the butt of Conor McGregor's "who the f*ck is that guy?" jibe from several years ago, has long been known for his aggressive tactics at various pre-fight ceremonies – but even he couldn't have expected the consequences of what would transpire when he pushed his scheduled opponent at Saturday's UFC event in Las Vegas, when they were eye-to-eye on the eve of their showdown.
On Friday, shortly after both Stephens and Klose weighed in, the two were taking part in the traditional pre-fight histrionics when Stephens powerfully shoved Klose away.
The American fighter immediately attempted to retaliate before officials jumped in to intervene. It seemed little more than the type of testy pre-fight exchange that has occurred hundreds of times before – but this one appears to have been a little different.
On Saturday evening, just hours before Stephens and Klose were due to enter the Octagaon, it was reported that Klose had been removed from the contest. The reason? Injuries he sustained as a result of Stephens' pre-fight push.
"After I was pushed by Jeremy Stephens at UFC Faceoffs, I immediately felt my hand go numb and neck tighten up," Klose explained in a social media post. "[Matchmaker] Sean Shelby and the UFC officials sent me to the PI to get worked on by the UFC PT staff for 2 hours. I spent the night eating, rehydrating, stretching and even saw the PT staff later that night.
"I woke up early this morning with a migraine or headache and nausea. The only thing that made me feel better was laying in the dark. UFC got me medicine and I rested for a couple hours before getting up and vomiting.
"It was at that point we called the UFC doctor and he made the decision to send me to the hospital. I’m sorry to everyone who was excited for this fight – I tried to do everything I could to stay in this fight, but these issues are out of my control."
"He suffered a cervical sprain of the neck and a concussion as a result of the push," reported ESPN UFC insider Ariel Helwani, amid further reports that Klose was experiencing a range of symptoms backstage including bouts of vomiting commonly associated with concussion.
"No sign of dehydration or anything that could come from a bad weight cut,"
Twitter reacted to the news in a variety of different ways. Some joked that Stephens has become the first fighter "to win by TKO at the ceremonial weigh-ins", while another took a more considered approach.
"Jeremy Stephens assaulted a man and made him lose out on a payday he only gets two or three times a year," they wrote on Twitter. "He should be fined and cut.
"I know it doesn’t seem like that big of a deal but what if Klose would’ve broken his ankle or torn something? You can’t just assault someone like that."
It remains to be seen if the UFC will attempt to rebook the fight between the pair once Klose returns to full fitness – but if they do, Stephens might be best served in keeping his hands to himself until fight time, lest he cost himself and his opponent another payday.
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