It’s not often you get a second chance, but it’s even more of a rarity to do so on 10 day’s notice.
In the main event of Saturday’s UFC Fight Night event in Brazil, Ovince Saint Preux has that opportunity as he heads into enemy territory against former UFC champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua. The matchup serves as a pivotal opportunity for both fighters in the light-heavyweight division, which is currently a mess.
At the top of the 205-pound weight class is a scheduled championship matchup between Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier which–thanks to injuries-doesn’t take place until January at UFC 182. Then there is top contender Alexander Gustafsson, who lost his opportunity at a Jones rematch when he went down with injury prior to UFC 178, which led to Cormier stepping in. A fight with rising star Anthony Johnson made sense, but pending legal troubles have kept “Rumble” outside of the cage. Johnson’s teammate Rashad Evans is a possible opponent for Gustafsson, but there is no timetable on when of if that matchup might occur. It would make sense for Phil Davis and Ryan Bader to square off next and in addition you have Glover Teixeira who is coming off a disappointing outing at UFC 179. This is where Saturday’s headliner comes into play.
Saint Preux is coming off a disappointing and uninspiring unanimous decision loss to Bader in August. The bout was set to cement Saint Preux’s status as a legitimate contender, but instead saw the 31-year-old lose his first fight in nearly three years. It’s no wonder “OSP” opted to replace the injured Jimi Manuawa–who is out with a broken foot–on short notice as this is a chance for him to erase the memory of his last fight. With the logjam ahead of him in the division’s rankings, a win over an MMA legend like Rua would certainly put him right back in the driver’s seat.
For Rua, this fight is all about relevancy in the division. The 32-year-old former champ saw his UFC record fall to 6-7 after being knocked out by Dan Henderson at UFC Fight Night 38 in March. Injuries have no doubt taken their toll throughout his lengthy career–which began in 2002–but some pundits question his motivation, as displayed in his disappointing loss to Chael Sonnen last year. Another loss for the fan favourite Rua would unlikely lead to his exit from the UFC, but the Brazilian has to feel the pressure heading into this fight, losing three of his last four fights.
Saint Preux is dangerous anywhere this fight goes, boasting solid standup and a well-versed ground game. His biggest weakness–as exposed in the Bader loss–was his inability to compete with a high level wrestler. That won’t be a factor in this fight, however he should be wary of Rua’s exceptional power–the Brazilian boasts 19 career knockout victories. Despite being a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, Rua rarely uses his ground game and his last submission victory was against Kevin Randleman at PRIDE 32 in 2006. Based on their styles, it’s likely we’ll see these two engage in a standup affair. But, should Saint Preux find he’s losing the exchanges on the feet, he may resort to wrestling to neutralize the Shogun’s standup. Saint Preux has only been knocked out once in his career and that was back in 2009 to Bellator veteran Virgil Zwicker.
Despite the fact Saint Preux has a 4-1 record in the UFC that followed his 5-1 stint in Strikeforce, the one aspect that’s missing from his resume is a signature victory. Rua is by far the biggest name Saint Preux has faced in his entire career and should the Tennessee native get an impressive win, it would immediately propel him the up the rankings. Conversely, should Rua emerge victorious over the talented Knoxville MMA product, it would prove he’s still a legitimate threat at 205 pounds.
