Dennis Bermudez vs. Jeremy Stephens

Round 1
Bermudez shoots straight for a takedown and winds up shoving Stephens against the fence. Stephens quickly separates and gets down to throwing punches, and a right hand seems to sting Bermudez. At the same time, a clash of heads cuts Stephens near the right eye. Bermudez drops to his knees, can’t get the takedown and stands to up to crack Stephens with a right hook. Bermudez pins “Lil Heathen” against the fence with an underhook. Two minutes into the round, Bermudez finally drags Stephens to the mat and then tries to sneak around to take the back. Bermudez is blocked by the fence, so he stays on Stephens’ back with one hook in, dropping left hands. The cut on Stephens’ right eyebrow is leaking again, pooling blood on the floor underneath the fighters. When Stephens rolls to his knees, Bermudez tries to jump on his back, but he goes too high and Stephens is able to slip out the back door. The featherweights are back on their feet with 90 seconds remaining, and Bermudez draws Stephens forward to land a stiff left hand. Stephens answers with a left-handed haymaker, but Bermudez eats it and then waits a few seconds before diving for a takedown. Stephens stuffs the shot, and again they wind up clinching on the fence. Stephens tries to whip around with a spinning elbow, but Bermudez goes underneath it and holds his man on the fence until the round’s end.

Sherdog Scores
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Bermudez
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Bermudez
Jeff Sherwood scores the round 10-9 Bermudez

Round 2
Stephens opens the round with a few hard leg kicks, but Bermudez closes the gap with a straight right hand. Bermudez keeps coming, trying to bomb Stephens near the fence with a combination, but he’s caught and dropped with a counter uppercut. Stephens tries to polish off his kneeling opponent with big punches from the standing position, only Bermudez shoots on the veteran’s legs and uses the shot to regain his wits. Bermudez gets back to his feet and continues walking forward on Stephens, who chops out the wrestler’s lead leg with a hard kick. A clubbing left hook from Stephens knocks Bermudez back to the mat; Bermudez stands and returns the favor with a push kick to the body which puts Stephens on his seat. Halfway through the round, Bermudez muscles Stephens against the cage. Stephens breaks out to deliver a right hand and a clinch knee, but Bermudez circles off the fence and comes back with a Superman punch which catches Stephens off balance and puts him back on the mat. Stephens scrambles up, gets a kick in the gut and has to defend as Bermudez shoots for a double-leg takedown against the fence. Referee Marc Goddard calls for work as the pace slows for the first time in the hectic, back-and-forth fight. The featherweights split with 40 seconds remaining, and Bermudez finds the mark with another Superman punch. Bermudez lands a leg kick, stuffs a takedown attempt from Stephens and shoves him against the fence to finish the round.

Sherdog Scores
Jordan Breen scores the round 10-9 Stephens
Chris Nelson scores the round 10-9 Stephens
Jeff Sherwood scores the round 10-9 Stephens

Round 3
Bermudez opens the round with a leg kick, then gets one in return. Stephens denies a clinch attempt from Bermudez and backs up to the fence. Bermudez comes in throwing a punch with his head down, and Stephens lands a perfectly placed knee on the temple. Bermudez is in trouble when he hits the mat, and Stephens finishes him off with a series of heavy left hands before referee Goddard intervenes.

The Official Result
Jeremy Stephens def. Dennis Bermudez via TKO (Knee and Punches) R3 0:32