"It was a sad deal" - Jeremy Stephens opens up about how his mother's drug addiction almost killed her
Jeremy Stephens is set to return to the cage against Drakkar Klose at UFC Vegas 24 on April 17. After fighting and losing to Calvin Kattar in his last UFC outing, 'Lil Heathen' took some time away from the octagon to cater to some personal matters.
Ahead of his fight this Saturday, Jeremy Stephens opened up to the media about the nature of the 'personal matters' that have kept him away from action all these months.
Jeremy Stephens disclosed that it was mostly to take care of his mother, who was suffering from drug addiction and had also contracted COVID-19:
"I'd say positive. Definitely positive. I had a lot going on. Even before my fight with Kattar, my coach Eric Del Fierro said 'Hey, you should take a step back'. I am a tough mental guy. I've been through a lot. I know how to get myself out of there. I thought I could do it. I had a lot of stuff going on with my mom. She almost died. She has been a drug addict since I was... as long as I can remember, there has been chaos in my family home. Before I got married in 2018, she kind of went off on the deep end, and I haven't spoke with her until the week before I fought Kattar. She almost died."
"She got COVID. For my mom to completely go from walking and talking around to having to a helper walk her to being in a diaper to her not remembering things and see her situation. It was a sad deal. I had to go in there, I had to dig deep. I had to deal with it. I decided to get sober, I decided to stop drinking and really handle these things."
Jeremy Stephens also shared that his mother was not only suffering from the consequences of substance abuse, but was also in consecutive abusive relationships which made it harder for her to get sober. The addiction has caused her brain to develop a disorder similar to Alzheimer's, but she is currently in a much better place and is undergoing rehabilitation and therapy.
Jeremy Stephens: This is going to be my best performance
Despite so much going on with Jeremy Stephens on the personal front, the hiatus has proven to be a positive one for the UFC fighter, as he has come out of it better than ever before:
"It has been a journey. And believe me, I have left no stone unturned. I have never been happier in my life. I have never been more clear. I have never been more focused. Saturday night, you guys are in for a treat. I'm telling you, this is going to be my best performance."