The fight will take place as part of the UFC 274 tournament.
The fight will take place on May 8 in Phoenix (Arizona, USA) at the Footprint Center and will be one of the main ones at the UFC 274 tournament. The estimated start of the fight is 05:30 Kyiv time. The fight will be broadcast live on Setanta Sports.
In light heavyweight, two famous veterans Mauricio Rua (27-12) and Ovince Saint Preux (25-16) will meet in a rematch. In November 2014, Saint Preux managed to knock out Shogun in 34 seconds.
Former UFC light heavyweight champion Rua, 40, will return after losing a second-round submission loss to Paul Craig, who rematched back in November 2020.
Saint Preux, 39, has lost three of his last four fights. He has not fought since June 2021, when he was knocked out in the second round by Tanner Boser in his second heavyweight bout.
Prediction for the fight
Both fighters are rapidly moving towards the end of their careers. Each of the fighters has slowed down a lot compared to their best years. Roy and Saint Preux know how to work on the ground, but they prefer to fight on their feet. Saint Preux has the best wrestling skills, but in recent years he has become less likely to carry out takedowns.
In his best years, Rua looked like a better striker, but it is not known what form “Shogun” will come to fight after such a long pause, probably in the worst condition of his career. Saint Preux can take advantage of his size advantage in the standing position, the presence of a powerful punch and the weak chin of the Brazilian. We believe that there is every chance that OSP will again emerge victorious from the battle with Rua marked “KO”.
Saint Preux wins by knockout in the 2nd round
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