Earlier today, the Minneapolis Police Department arrested UFC fighter Jeremy Stephens for an outstanding warrant and details about the warrant are coming forward.
Stephens was scheduled to meet Yves Edwards on the preliminary card of UFC on FX 5 in Minneapolis, but was arrested this morning at his hotel.
At the time of arrest, the police department would not issue any details on the arrest, except that the UFC fighter was being arrested on an outstanding warrant in another state.
During the preliminary card broadcast on FUEL TV, UFC President Dana White explained that the fighter was arrested. He went on to say that they were hoping for the fighter to be released from custody and have his fight with Edwards. However, Stephens was never released and the fight did not happen.
Following the UFC on FX 5 card, White went on “The Underground” to explain the situation.
“So here’s the deal,” White wrote. “I have been working since 11am to get him out of jail. The people in Iowa hate this kid and are going to stick it to him for SURE. Everytime I would cut a deal for bail they would change the deal and I was willing to do anything. They kept changing the deal thinking I would tapout and when I didn’t they left me hangin changing it every 5 mins. People at Minn Sheriffs Dept were amazing and I want to thank them. He has been in town since Monday and they arrested him Friday at 11am for a reason to really (expletive) him. I literally just told Yves he wasn’t fighting 35 mins ago. He is a TRUE OLD SCHOOL PRO who waited all night for us to try and get Jeremy here!!!!! It is a pleasure being in biz with u Yves. So I wanted u the fans to hear it from me first.”
Then, White was asked about the issues at the post fight press conference and said that Stephens is facing an assault charge in Des Moines, Iowa.
“Jeremy Stephens is a young kid that made a mistake and made a bigger mistake by not taking care of it,” White said. “He has a side and I’ll always believe my guy.”
White believes that the city of Des Moines has it in for Stephens since they waited until today to have him picked up on an outstanding warrant. It’s unclear if Stephens will be released on bail at this point or if he will be transported back to Iowa.
With how everything went down today between Stephens, White and the city of Des Moines, it’s safe to say the UFC will not plan on doing any fight cards in Des Moines in the near future.