Jeremy Stephens is closing in on a record. The "Lil Heathen" is about to make his 28th appearance inside the Octagon, but his chances to get into featherweight title contention always seem just out of arms' reach. Stephens (27-14, 17 KOs) is coming off a brutal finish of young prospect Doo Ho Choi in January and a decision victory over veteran Gilbert Melendez before that in September 2017, but still his resume remains cluttered with losses to the elite-level competitors he faces. Since 2014, losses to Cub Swanson, Charles Oliveira, Max Holloway, Frankie Edgar and Renato Moicano perpetually keep Stephens on the outside looking in.

Now, he faces a man who jumped him in line for the title opportunity with one vicious punch in Josh Emmett on Saturday at UFC on Fox 28 in Orlando, Florida.

Emmett is kind of a miracle story in MMA. The 32-year-old fighter from Arizona has been a bit of an unknown throughout his 14-fight career, but thanks to a quick knockout of title contender Ricardo Lamas, Emmett is getting the shine he knows he deserves.

"It's been quick from a UFC standpoint, but I've been grinding with the best team in the world, Team Alpha Male, for over a decade," Emmett said after open workouts via MMAJunkie.com. "People did not know that until my last fight. I've been there since the beginning, since Urijah opened this gym. I see everyone come in become title challengers, champions, No. 1 contenders, Hall of Famers, and I know where I stack up.

"I've been everyone's main training partner for such a long time. It's been under two years since I've been in the UFC, but I'm here. It's my time, and I will get that title soon."

Emmett (13-1) missed weight for the fight with Lamas, but had no issue on Friday getting under 146 pounds. Saturday will give us more insight into just how deep the 145-pound division is, but one thing we should hope for is punches in bunches. 

Here's a look at the main fight card with the latest odds from Bovada.

UFC on Fox 28 fight card, odds

FavoriteUnderdogWeightclass

Jeremy Stephens -165

Josh Emmett +135

Featherweight

Jessica Andrade -300

Tecia Torres +230

Women's strawweight

Ovince Saint Preux -135

Ilir Latifi +105

Light heavyweight

Mike Perry -360

Max Griffin +270

Welterweight

UFC on Fox 28 predictions

Wise on why Emmett will win: We've been down this road too many times with Stephens for me to have any trust in him. Yes, he's the wily veteran in this fight, about to tie Georges St-Pierre and Michael Bisping for most fights in UFC history, but Stephens perennially fails to show up in these big moments. Yes, he made easy work of Doo Ho Choi, but Emmett will not give him the same openings to land power punches at will. Emmett will fight smart and pick his spots from range while grinding out a unanimous decision win to move closer to a title shot.

Campbell on why Stephens will win: A UFC veteran of 11 years, it has taken Stephens a long time to shake his wild streak as a feast-or-famine fighter who is either knocking someone out or losing by decision against technically superior fighters. At 31, "Lil' Heathen" appears close to finding out how good he can be, fresh off arguably the two best wins of his career over Melendez and Choi. By mixing in a few changeups, Stephens has amplified the power of his fastball and has looked poised and calculated. While Emmett, fresh off a breakthrough knockout of his own is no slouch, this is a showcase opportunity to further cement whether Stephens is for real and should be in line for a title shot. Recent fights suggest he is and will finish Emmett to get there. Pick: Stephens by third-round TKO.