Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Light Heavyweight sluggers Ovince Saint Preux vs Marcos Rogerio de Lima brawled last night (April 22, 2017) at UFC Fight Night 108 inside Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee.
Perhaps more than anyone else on the card, “OSP” absolutely had to win this fight. Just a couple fights back he was contending for the Interim title, but his performances have been increasingly pedestrian. To remain on the roster, Saint Preux had to turn back the Brazilian. On the other hand, Rogerio de Lima made his situation uglier by badly missing weight ... again. If “Pezao” managed to score another quick knockout, it would go a long way in earning some forgiveness.
Despite the precariousness of his position, Saint Preux did not open the fight with much urgency. His opponent, however, wasted little time in going after “OSP,” hunting for heavy low kicks at every opportunity.
For much of the round, “Pezao” chased his opponent around and dug low kicks, landing the occasional hard punches. Saint Preux was patient and circling for much of the round, only really landing one significantly hard body kick in the second half of the round. He began to throw a bit more as the round came to a close, but the Brazilian managed to stuff his first takedown attempt and clearly steal the opening round.
None of that mattered though.
Saint Preux focused on his footwork a bit more and made his opponent miss more often as a result to begin the second round. Before long, “OSP” managed to catch an awkward kick and convert it into a takedown, where the momentum quickly shifted.
From top position, Saint Preux quickly went to work with elbows. He split open his foe and suddenly “Pezao” lost much of his energy. As the Brazilian tried to cling onto a headlock to keep himself safe, Saint Preux passed into half guard and began to drop heavy shoulder pressure into his opponent’s neck.
Just like that, Saint Preux landed his second Von Flue submission, the only man in history to do so.
This fight really highlights both the flaws and strengths of “OSP.” In the first round, Saint Preux was far too patient and willing to eat shots without returning. He basically allowed Rogerio de Lima to chase him around the cage and land decent shots, which is a risky strategy against such a dangerous athlete.
Luckily, Saint Preux can be pretty damn violent himself. Once in top position, Saint Preux smashed Rogerio de Lima with hard ground strikes and took the fight out of his foe. Once that happened, the Von Flue choke was simply a badass cherry on top.
Even with his recent losses, Saint Preux remains a ranked fighter. Now that he’s returned to the win column, it would make sense for Saint Preux to face another Top 15-ranked fighter such as Ilir Latifi.
It could be ugly. It could be fun. Such is Light Heavyweight in 2017.
As for “Pezao,” this fight didn’t show anything new. The Brazilian is big and powerful, and he’s a serious finishing threat in the first half of the fight. Unfortunately, he also fades terribly and tends to give up when put in a bad position. That problem alone would likely keep him away from the rankings, but it also doesn’t help that he’s missing weight so badly. Rogerio de Lima better hope his next UFC fight is at Heavyweight, as his other option is likely some regional show in Brazil.
Last night at UFC Fight Night 108, Ovince Saint Preux scored a stylish submission. Who should “OSP” face next?
For complete UFC Fight Night 108: “Swanson vs. Lobov” results and play-by-play, click HERE!