Many fighters love the travel aspect of their career – but Harris “Sandman” Stephenson is not one of those fighters.

Southern Mississippi is where the heart is for Stephenson. It’s where he works as a detective sergeant and is completing his undergraduate degree in psychology at William Carey University. On top of his work and studies, Stephenson and his partner Karen raise a pair of daughters.

Stephenson is a very talented fighter, but he has a lot more on his plate than many of his peers in the fight game. He doesn’t like to be away from home for long, so if he does leave to compete, it has to be a matchup that really gets his motor running.

“For me to travel, it really has to be a meaningful fight – a big fight. I go to work, I go to school and I train, but I really don’t like being away from home with my family,” the seven-time BKFC vet says.

“I don’t even really go outside the house more than I have to. So for me to leave South Mississippi to go fight somewhere across the country for a couple days, it’s rough on me mentally. It’s something that I have to prepare for mentally.” 

Luckily, Stephenson couldn’t be much more excited to fight Brian Maxwell on Friday at BKFC 51 in Salem, VA – some 800 miles away from homebase in Saucier, MS. This is a fight that Stephenson has wanted for years, and it will be streamed LIVE worldwide on The BKFC App. 

Stephenson is hoping for a quick finish. After all, the sooner he wins, the sooner he can be back home with his family. However, “Sandman” wants to compete more frequently moving forward – even if it means more time on the road.

“I’m at a make-or-break point in my career, so I’m trying to be as active as humanly possible and take every fight that’s offered to me,” the 34-year-old fan favorite says.

“I want to keep climbing and progressing in the fight industry. I’ve been in the industry for 16 years, so this is the time that I’ve got to make it.”