Drakkar Klose excited to “throw down” with Jeremy Stephens, says he’ll drop down to featherweight after he finishes him

Drakkar Klose is eager to welcome Jeremy Stephens back up to lightweight.

With Stephens on a five-fight winless streak, the 10th-ranked featherweight decided to move up to lightweight and will face Klose at UFC Vegas 24. For Klose, he is much more excited about this fight than his past couple.

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“I’m way more excited. With my last couple of opponents, I wasn’t afraid of anything they would bring to the table,” Klose said on Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN.com. “With Jeremy, I got that fear, it excites me. I’m glad I can go in there and throw down with him.”

Although Stephens is on a losing streak, Klose knows the UFC veteran is very dangerous. He does expect it to be a back-and-forth striking battle. The goal is to also put on a show for the fans and try and get a $50k bonus.

“He might be on a losing streak, but he still has it and still brings it and that’s what excites me about this fight,” Klose explained. “Just go in there and get to put on a show. He’s a great guy… I hope it is the best version of him. I don’t want to go in there and beat someone that’s injured or something was wrong with him. Hopefully, he has a great training camp and there are no injuries and we can put on a show.”

In the fight, Drakkar Klose knows Stephens will come out guns blazing as he will try and get an early KO. However, he does expect to be able to wear on him and either be able to grind out a decision or get a late finish.

“I’m going to go out there and get the victory any way I can, just get the win. I do see later in maybe the third round being able to overpower him and finish him,” Klose said. “We are both similar, we both fight with a lot of emotion. It is more about who is under control with their emotion and who can execute their game plan better.”

If Klose does get his hand raised on Saturday night, he knows it would be a big win for his career. However, he says he is thinking about a move down to featherweight given he would’ve just beaten the 10th-ranked featherweight.

Klose is also well aware that he won’t be getting a ranked opponent or a title shot at 155 anytime soon.

“If I go out there and starch him, maybe I go down to ’45. I’m not going to get a title shot at ’55, it’s the same people,” Klose concluded. “I might as well try to drop a weight class and make a run at ’45 if that’s possible.”

Do you think Drakkar Klose will beat Jeremy Stephens?