Jeremy Stephens defends knee at UFC on FOX 28, says nothing dirty about it

ORLANDO, Fla. – Jeremy Stephens finished Josh Emmett in violent fashion on Saturday night in his second straight main event.

But the knockout wasn’t without controversy. Emmett’s side was upset that a knee Stephens threw toward Emmett’s head just before the finish was illegal. A couple elbows to the back of the head prior to that in the heat of an exchange on the ground probably didn’t help.

But referee Dan Miragliotta not only didn’t stop the fight, he told announcer Bruce Buffer afterward that from his vantage point, the knee just missed Emmett’s head.

But Stephens (28-14 MMA, 15-13 UFC) after the fight told MMAjunkie that whether or not he hit Emmett (13-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) with the knee might be moot – because Miragliotta said prior to the fight such a knee would be legal under the new Unified Rules of MMA in effect in Florida.

UFC on FOX 28 took place Saturday at Amway Center in Orlando. The card aired on FOX following early prelims on UFC Fight Pass.

“Dan Miragliotta came in the back (before the fight). He said this state specifically is under the new (unified) rules,” Stephens told MMAjunkie. “He said if two hands are on the ground, you can lift one hand up and throw a knee.”

So armed with that knowledge, Stephens said when he saw the chance to throw the knee, it wasn’t some poorly timed decision. It was flat-out intentional because he believed it to be a legal move based on what Miragliotta said in advance.

“When I rocked him, I waited for an opportunity,” Stephens said. “I was looking for an opportunity to throw the knee – it wasn’t heat of the moment and I’m just throwing stuff, because I’m not a dirty fighter. I never have been. I’m a killer. I looked for the kill, but I do it professionally.

“He did raise his hand up. I threw a knee. I didn’t feel it land. But that’s not what finished him. Dan Miragliotta – if he thought it was illegal, he could’ve stopped the fight. That’s not my job. Under this state, those are the rules. It is what it is. I took advantage of the opportunity. I go for the kill, I train for the finish, that’s what I do.”

Stephens said the win should send a message to UFC President Dana White and the rest of the brass with the promotion. It gave him three straight victories, two in main events, and two straight knockout finishes. The third win came against former Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez by decision.

A whopping 28 fights into his UFC career, Stephens may be hitting his peak, despite being just two fights over .500 in the promotion.

“What I knew is I wanted to make a statement tonight,” he said. “A lot of guys come in, they get decisions. Dana, he likes (my) style of fighting – he likes people knocking guys out. I fought in January (and) knocked a guy out. I come back five weeks later, knock a guy out.

“That’s a statement. I’m making statements. I don’t talk crap. I make statements. Period.”

For complete coverage of UFC on FOX 28, check out the UFC Events section of the site.