The rivalry between Conor McGregor and Jeremy Stephens began with a single question at a press conference. In 2016, at the UFC 205 press conference, McGregor asked, “Who the f–k is that guy?” after Stephens touted himself as the hardest hitter in the 145 lbs. division leaving the crowd in splits. But the feud didn’t end there. Years later, their ‘beef’ is still simmering and now it’s taken an unexpected turn!

‘Lil Heathen’, as he’s also known, left the UFC in 2022 and has since competed under the PFL and more recently, the BKFC (Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship) banners. With McGregor now a part-owner of the BKFC, he recently tossed Stephens’ name out for a potential fight leading to a fiery rant from the former UFC featherweight that even got the Irishman’s mother caught in the crossfire.

Jeremy Stephens goes on a no-hold-barred rant against Conor McGregor with shots at his mother

In a recent video shared by Jeremy Stephens on his Instagram account, Conor McGregor can be seen making a call-out of ‘Lil Heathen’ at a BKFC event by stating, “Let’s talk bare knuckle athletes, Jeremy Stephens who the f–k is that guy? That’s a nice one I’d like in bare knuckle for sure.”

Stephens, who is already making a name for himself in bare-knuckle boxing going 2-0 in the promotion so far, didn’t hesitate to respond—and he made it personal. Stephens fired back with, “Comes over to bare knuckle, you know I already said bro, I’ll snatch that dudes f–king life dude. He won’t be the same way he’s training right now. Juiced out of his f–king mind too bro, steroids, f–king, just to make a f—king movie and money, take steroids….soft a– motherf–ker dawg.”

But the most shocking part of Stephens’ response came when he dragged McGregor’s mother into the mix. In a distasteful attempt to rattle ‘The Notorious’, Stephens stated, “Seen those shaky legs before, that was his mom when I had her picked up shook her down like dice, Ving Rhames style baby boy bud.”

It’s been many years since their rivalry first made headlines, but now, fate seems to be pulling them back into the ring. While the two never settled their differences inside the Octagon, McGregor has also been taking shots at Stephens at every opportunity.

Ahead of ‘Lil Heathen’s fight against Bobby Taylor at BKFC 65, the Irishman had shared a post on Instagram with the caption, “In our co-main event also we have “who the f–k is that guy” facing off again against Bobby Taylor. Me and “who the f–k” is an exciting bare knuckle fight down the line 100%!”

Through his rant, it’s clear that Stephens believes he’s got the upper hand if the two ever stepped into the BKFC ring. But for now, all eyes are on Conor McGregor’s long-awaited UFC return as he’s hinted that he’s already got an opponent and a date lined up!

‘The Notorious’ leaves Michael Chandler fight behind with new opponent in his cross-hairs  

For a long while, it seemed Michael Chandler was the man Conor McGregor would face on his UFC return. While the promotion’s plans for their UFC 303 clash crumbled due to McGregor’s toe injury, now, a new name has entered the McGregor comeback saga—Dan Hooker. McGregor recently dropped a bombshell after a BKFC event in Spain. As he made his exit from the event, he revealed that he’s set to fight Hooker on February 1 in Saudi Arabia.

‘The Hangman’, who was also in Spain confirmed the news. Speaking with Submission Radio, Hooker stated, “Lock it in, yeah, I jumped in the ring, (McGregor and I) had a few words inside the ring, but yeah, Feb. 1 works for me in Saudi. We’ll get that thing straight away.”

What’s fascinating is Hooker’s view of McGregor. He described their connection as one of “kindred spirits,” claiming the two have more in common than most people realize. But indicated that, “…we just need to get the UFC on board and we’ll get this thing across the line.”

While Hooker is ready and McGregor seems eager, there’s one missing piece, the UFC, and boss Dana White’s approval. But with the allure of Saudi Arabia and the chance for McGregor to set new viewership and gate records when he returns, do you think the UFC will green-light this matchup soon? Let us know what you think in the comments below!