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<h3><a href="/go=news.detail&gid=291679" target="_blank">
Stephens: I don't want to lose my job
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<a href="/go=news.detail&gid=291679" ><img class="photo" src="http://img.mixedmartialarts.com/method=get&rs=33&q=75&x=10&y=15&w=310&h=165&ro=0&s=jeremy-stephens-marcus-davis.jpg" /></a>
<strong class="ArticleSource">[mmajunkie.com]</strong>
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Heading into the third round of his UFC 125 matchup with Marcus Davis, lightweight slugger Jeremy Stephens was not at all happy with himself.
In his mind, he had wasted away the opening two rounds of the contest and was now looking at the real possibility of his second-straight octagon defeat.
That's when Stephens realized it was do or die.
"He's a good, experienced veteran, and he was definitely winning the fight," Stephens told MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio). "It kind of frustrated me. I was down two rounds.
"The fight didn't go exactly the way I was planning, but I knew in that third round, I had to give it all. I don't want to lose my job. I don't want to be a loser."
With Davis fighting at 155 pounds for the first time, questions surrounded the contest with Stephens. For the opening two rounds, "The Irish Hand Grenade" had all the answers.
"The first round, Marcus surprised me with his boxing movement," Stephens admitted. "Marcus, at 170, sometimes he likes to plant his feet and throw some big shots, but he was definitely really light on his feet. His angles were working against me. I couldn't quite get the angle on him, which was kind of frustrating.
"He was landing some shots, and he caught me on my temple and rocked me in the first round. It was more like a flash-equilibrium knockout. It wasn't like a hard punch, but it caught me in the right spot to get my equilibrium off-balance. It definitely woke me up."