Yet despite dismissing that romantic notion, the Iowa-born Californian does admit that being in Mexico for the last five weeks has been something he wont forget.

To fight in Mexico is an honor, it's a new journey, a new experience, and I wanted to fight here, he said. It took Yair a week and a half to sign the contract and I wanted to fight here. I wanted a new challenge, I wanted the new journey, so I embraced it. It's a different journey and I took myself out of my comfort zone and got really uncomfortable and that's where the biggest learning is. It's been amazing out here, I'm surrounded by great people, I'm at high altitude and I'm just embracing it. I'm not comfortable; this isn't my country, this isn't my home, this isn't my regular place to train. There's a lot of differences, a lot of struggles, a lot of different things that I've had to overcome and that's good for the mental game because when I come to the fight, I'm gonna be well prepared.

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Mexico's Unfamiliarity Helps Prepare Stephens - UFC