Spann, a former LFA champ, was looking to pull out of a three-fight tailspin, while OSP was 2-1 in his last three, including a win over Shogun Rua.

Spann opened the first with a leg kick, and would land another one moments later. Saint Preux would fire back, but the leg grazed the cup by the thigh, bringing a brief halt to the action. On the restart, a left hand was there for Spann, coming over the top. OSP would answer back, landing one of this own, but Spann ripped off a massive right, then locked up a guillotine! The pair would go to the ground, Spann on top, and in mere seconds, Saint Preux was tapping!

With the win, Spann returns to the win column for the first time since November of 2022. It also marked his tenth career win via guillotine, clearly a go-to submission for Ryan “Superman” Spann. As for Ovince Saint Preux, the fight marked the final one on his current deal. Whether he returns remains to be seen, given the UFC isn’t known for re-signing fighters coming off a loss after fighting out their contracts.

Official Result: Ryan Spann def. Ovince Saint Preux by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 1, 1:35

The post UFC 307: Ryan Spann Locks Up Early Guillotine of Ovince Saint Preux appeared first on Cageside Press.

Marcin Tybura

Marcin Tybura’s win over ninth-ranked Tai Tuivasa on UFC Vegas 88’s main event solidifies his position as the gatekeeper to the top ten of the UFC‘s heavyweight division. After losing to Tom Aspinall the fight before that, Tybura is ready to fight up the rankings again. The most logical choice for his next opponent is the top heavyweight who just lost a fight: Jailton Almieda.

Almeida has shown to have potential as a grappling-heavy fighter, but needs to round out his game a bit more and work on his telegraphed takedowns. A matchup against a well-rounded Marcin Tybura is perfect to see if he can grow between his last fight and his next. As for the thirty-eight year old Pole, his title dreams are barely staying alive, so he needs a win here to have any shot of making it to the top.

Tybura’s Next Fight: Jailton Almeida

Bryan Battle and Ange Loosa

Before the anti-climactic eye poke stoppage, resulting no-contest, and post-fight scuffle between Battle and Loosa, Bryan Battle seemed to be cruising to victory. With Battle claiming that Loosa wanted to get out of the fight in his heated, curse-filled post-fight monologue, there is no option save for making the rematch as soon as possible.

Battle & Loosa’s Next Fight: Battle VS Loosa 2

Ovince St Preux

The former light-heavyweight top contender OSP turned back the clock at UFC Vegas 88, winning a split decision over Kennedy Nzechukwu as a five-to-one underdog. At age forty, St Preux could retire any time and be respected as he sails off into the sunset, but assuming he is going to continue competing he should face Marcin Prachnio next. Prachnio is coming off of a win, just like OSP, but has little in the way of knockout power, so fans can feel comfortable going into that fight, knowing they will likely not have to see a forty year old knocked out in the cage.

OSP’s Next Fight: Marcin Prachnio

Christian Rodriguez

A wild matchup bwteeen two prospects where each one had a 10-8 round scored for them on every judge’s scorecard ended with ‘CeeRod’ hurling Isaac Dulgarian from the ranks of the unbeaten by split decision. The 10-1 Rodriguez’s next opponent depends on which weight he will fight at; this last fight was fought at featherweight after multiple weight misses at bantamweight, but it seems undeniable that Christian is better suited to fighting at 135-lbs given his profile.

If he can make weight and if the UFC will let him fight there again, the stacked bantamweight division has a host of names for him to fight. Given CeeRod’s current four-fight winning streak, a grizzled, skilled veteran like Davey Grant makes sense. That fight would test Rodriguez to see if he has the potential to hang with the upper echelon of 135ers.

Rodriguez’s Next Fight: Davey Grant

Macy Chiasson

Macy Chiasson bounced back from a loss amd impressed at UFC Vegas 88 with her first finish since 2019 as she subbed sixth-ranked Pannie Kianzad. Chiasson will now move up in the ranks from her spot at #10. Given the fact that most women’s bantamweights are not currently booked to fight, she has several options, like Mayra Bueno Silva, Miesha Tate, Ketlen Vieira, or Irene Aldana.

Tate is a legend in the division but had two setbacks in 2021-22. However, Miesha bounced back with a win, just like Chiasson, and a fight between them would be a good eliminator, with the winner being one win away from a title shot, perhaps.

Chiasson’s Next Fight: Miesha Tate

Gerald Meerschaert

GM3 opened the UFC Vegas 88 main card by submitting Bryan Barbarena in the second round, tying Anderson Silva for most finishes in the UFC middleweight division’s history. However, that was his first win since 2022, and he is still more gatekeeper than contender at 185-lbs. Matching him up against a rising prospect could be interesting, but even more interesting would be to pit the UFC MW submission king against arguably the greatest grappler to ever enter the octagon: Rodolfo Vieira.

Meerschaert’s Next Fight: Rodolfo Vieira

The post What’s Next: UFC Vegas 88 Winners appeared first on Cageside Press.

Given his age and his having lost four of his last five fights, St. Preux came into the fight as a five-to-one underdog against the favored Kennedy Nzechukwu. Nzechukwu, from Nigeria, came in with a 6-4 UFC record but dropped to 6-5 as St. Preux got his first win from 2022 in a shock upset.

The fight started slowly as the pair figured out the open stance matchup, with St. Preux being the southpaw. Nzechuwku slowly got a lead with straight shots, including his teep to the midsection of OSP. Ovince responded with a flurry of punches in combination but his punches seemed to have less pop on them than his foe’s. The first round passed with little happening in general.

The second round did not heat up. Neither man separated from the other during the striking, unloaded big combinations, or really put all their power into any of their shots. In search of a technical fight, Nzechukwu could not take over the fight from the older, slower, less athletic opponent. So a fight like this worked well in the favor of OSP.

The third round got more interesting though, as OSP hurt Nzechukwu with a right uppercut in the first minute of the round. Nzechuwku appeared to be slowing down and St. Preux looked genuinely great for his age. After being on the back foot for most of the round, Kennedy found a second wind deep from within him, turned up the aggression, and stunned OSP right back. OSP countered with an increase in intensity himself, but then began to appear the more tired fighter. Ovince St Preux had more variety in his punches but the kicks and power of Nczeckuwu may have given him the lead. However, St. Preux found his own second wind in the final seconds and finished the fight stronger.

No round was truly clear for either man, meaning the scorecards could have been all over the place when the decision was read. Each judge had it 29-28, but two of them gave the 29 for OSP, pushing him to being tied for third-most wins in light-heavyweight history.

Official Result: Ovince St. Preux def. Kennedy Nzechukwu by Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

The post UFC Vegas 88: Ovince St. Preux Upsets Seven-to-One Favorite Kennedy Nzechukwu appeared first on Cageside Press.

Lins had dropped to 205lbs last time out, making his return to the division with a win over Marcin Prachnio last April. The Brazilian was best known for winning the 2018 PFL heavyweight tournament, however.

Saint Preux entered the fight off a win over Shogun Rua, after coming up short against Tanner Boser in a heavyweight scrap. Speaking of Shogun, OSP also tied the Brazilian legend for UFC appearances on Saturday, after a decade in the promotion.

Saint Preux opened with a probing kick, which was followed by Lins landing a straight left hand. OSP was almost immediately backpedalling, clearly hurt and covering up. Philipe Lins, meanwhile, began unloading, throwing everything but the kitchen sink. Lefts, rights, straights, hooks, the kitchen sink might actually have been thrown in there. Somehow, Saint Preux managed to survive, covering up and circling out of harm’s way.

That didn’t last long, however. Lins went right after him, and soon enough, Ovince Saint Preux went crashing down to the canvas. Lins simply overwhelmed him.

Some swangin’ and BANGIN’ from @PhillipeLins 💥 #UFCVegas69 pic.twitter.com/cI17bZVFWS

— UFC (@ufc) February 18, 2023

Official Result: Philipe Lins def. Ovince Saint Preux by KO (strikes), Round 1, 0:49

The post UFC Vegas 69: Philipe Lins Overwhelms, KO’s Ovince Saint Preux appeared first on Cageside Press.

MMA Fighting was first to report the news. Cageside Press confirmed the booking with a source familiar with the situation.

Saint Preux (26-16) and Lins were originally expected to face off on in November 2021, only for OSP to pull out of the fight. They were booked again as part of UFC 282 earlier this month; this time, it was Lins who was forced to withdraw.

Ovince Saint Preux, meanwhile, never did fight on the December 10 card, after a full three opponents fell through. Fingers crossed he gets his fight this time.

OSP last competed in May, winning a split decision against the legendary Shogun Rua. The win snapped a two-fight skid, with one of those match-ups coming at heavyweight against Tanner Boser. The other came against current 205lb title contender Jamahal Hill.

Lins, a former PFL heavyweight champ, made the move to light heavyweight earlier this year, picking up a win over Marcin Prachnio. That fight was his first win, and first action, since back-to-back losses to heavyweights Andrei Arlovski and Tanner Boser in 2020. The Brazilian then saw no fewer than six fights fall through between 2020 and the Prachio fight, and another handful fall apart in the months since.

The UFC’s February 18, 2023 event is due for the Apex in Las Vegas with the following fights reported thus far:

• Taila Santos vs. Erin Blanchfield
• Gabriel Benitez vs. Jim Miller
• William Knight vs. Marcin Prachino
• Themba Gorimbo vs. Billy Goff
• Evan Elder vs. Nazim Sadykhov
• Benoit Saint-Denis vs. Joe Solecki
• Juancamilo Ronderos vs. Clayton Carpenter
• Abus Magomedov vs. Gerald Meerschaert
• Philipe Lins vs. Ovince Saint Preux

The post UFC Gives OSP vs. Philipe Lins Another Try, Booked for Feb. 18 appeared first on Cageside Press.

Gustafsson (18-8) will face Ovince St. Preux (26-16) at UFC 282 on December 10, 2022 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. MMA Junkie was first to report news of the booking, which will take place at 205 pounds.

“The Mauler” returned from retirement in 2020, losing a heavyweight contest against former champ Fabricio Werdum. After missing all of 2021, Gustafsson returned to action at UFC London this past July, where he was knocked out by Nikita Krylov. Overall, the Swede has lost his last four fights.

St. Preux recently snapped a two-fight skid of his own, returning to the win column with a split decision victory against Shogun Rua this past May.

UFC 282 does not yet have a main event set, but will take place on December 10, 2022 in Las Vegas with the following bouts attached:

• Robbie Lawler vs. Santiago Ponzinibbio
• Edmen Shahbazyan vs. Dalcha Lungiambula
• Billy Quarantillo vs. Alexander Hernandez
• T.J. Brown vs. Erik Silva
• Dricus du Plessis vs. Darren Till
• Jairzinho Rozenstruik vs. Chris Daukaus
• Chris Curtis vs. Joaquin Buckley
• Daniel da Silva vs. Vinicius Salvador
• Bo Nickal vs. Jamie Pickett
• Cameron Saaiman vs. Ronnie Lawrence
• Ovince Saint Preux vs. Alexander Gustafsson
• Jan Błachowicz vs. Magomed Ankalaev

The post Alexander Gustafsson vs. Ovince St. Preux Lined Up for UFC 282 appeared first on Cageside Press.

Now, the question becomes, what’s next? Oliveira’s future is somewhat set, as he’ll be fighting for the title he was stripped of due to missing weight for the fight. Who he fights will shape the course of the division over the next six months or so. It’s matchmaker time, so let’s get down to work.

Charles Oliveira

Justin Gaethje, in hindsight, spent too much time focused on Charles Oliveira’s history of quitting in fights and not enough on his own tendency of choking in big fights. Gaethje is the most violent man the sport has ever seen. He’s one of the most consistently entertaining fighters on the roster. But when it came time for the All-Violence title against Eddie Alvarez (they made the BMF title a real thing and not that, let that sink in for a moment), the title shot against Khabib, and now against Oliveira, Gaethje choked.

The Charles Oliveira we see today is a much better fighter, a much more mentally sound fighter, than the one we saw “quit” in fights years ago. Future opponents would be best served to ignore the Oliveira of old and look only at the past three to four years. This new Oliveira is a beast who has defeated Tony Ferguson, Dustin Poirier, Michael Chandler, and now Gaethje. In four straight fights. Let that sink in a moment: those four are the most electrifying fighters in the division, and the biggest names out there save for Conor McGregor.

Now, Oliveira would no doubt love the McGregor fight. But Conor isn’t due back just yet, and he hasn’t won a fight for ages. Let’s leave him to the side for now. The only fight here is Islam Makhachev. We all want to know how Oliveira would have fared against Khabib Nurmagomedov, well this is as close to an answer as you’ll get. Makhachev vs. Dariush? That sounds dull in comparison. The UFC has already announced an October Pay-Per-View for Abu Dhabi. Makhachev is a big name there, and has won ten straight. This is the fight you make.

Oliveira’s next fight: Islam Makhachev

Carla Esparza

Carla Esparza is now a two-time UFC champion, winning the belt once again against Rose Namajunas. It’s a shame it came in a fight no one will ever want to watch again, unless it’s to break down exactly how such a bad fight happened at such a high level. And to figure out why Namajunas’ corner thought she was winning, in a fight that had many calling for at least one 10-10 round.

Esparza is 2-0 against “Thug” Rose and a third fight would be a hard sell. She’s getting married shortly, so let her enjoy her honeymoon. Then, give her the winner of Weili Zhang vs. Joanna Jedrzejczyk. Yes, we know, Marina Rodriguez has an argument for a title shot. And if this were the PFL, she’d be next. But the UFC isn’t a league, and the sporting argument is long dead. You book the biggest fights possible. Joanna vs. Esparza was a great fight the first time around, and we know the Polish star can shut down Esparza’s wrestling. Zhang would be a very, very interesting opponent as well.

Esparza’s next fight: Weili Zhang vs. Joanna Jedrzejczyk winner

Michael Chandler

“Iron” Mike Chandler had a knockout for the ages at UFC 274, turning Tony Ferguson’s face into something akin to an orc. Seriously. Look at the moment of impact, and tell us “El Cucuy” doesn’t look more like an orc from Lord of the Rings than any sort of Boogeyman. It was scary. We’re extremely glad Ferguson is okay, his CT scan reportedly negative. Now, he needs a long vacation, while Chandler… it’s tempting to say give the man what he wants. He cut a promo for the ages after his knockout for the ages.

But you know what? He’s not likely to get any of what he’s asking for.

The title is likely to wind up being contested between Makhachev and Oliveira. Chandler’s own loss to “Charlie Olives” (sure hope that name sticks, it’s the best thing since Bobby Knuckles) is too recent. Then there’s the McGregor callout. Yes, Conor responded positively to it. He always has with Chandler. But the UFC knows that while Conor vs. Chandler is a money fight, it’s not the money fight. When McGregor returns, it will either be for a title, or the trilogy against Nate Diaz. Because those two move the most Pay-Per-View buys.

As for Chandler, you start looking down the list for the next most explosive pairing. And that one is really, really obvious. With Nate Diaz vs. Dustin Poirier falling apart, book Chandler vs. Poirier. They’re both top five lightweights, they’ve both fought for the title recently, and it’s another very violent match-up.

Chandler’s next fight: Dustin Poirier

Ovince St. Preux

OSP was somewhat lucky to leave Phoenix with a split decision win over Shogun Rua. The pair’s rematch easily could have gone the other way. It wasn’t a great fight, and no one is screaming robbery, but it also doesn’t do much for St. Preux’s standing in the light heavyweight division.

It’s pretty telling that the former interim title challenger isn’t even ranked at this point. Mind you, he had been moonlighting at heavyweight. So, give him the #15 man in the division. That’s Dustin Jacoby right now, though it could be Da Un Jung come July. Either way, OSP gets the winner.

St. Preux’s next fight: Dustin Jacoby vs. Da Un Jung winner

Randy Brown

Another split decision in a fight we had hoped to see fireworks in. Brown got past Khaos Williams, playing Matador against the “Ox Fighter.” Brown has now won three straight against some decent competition. More importantly, his losses look a lot better in hindsight, especially those to Vicente Luque and Belal Muhammad.

Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos was supposed to fight last month, but had to pull out of the fight. He’s 2-2 in his last four but was on a very solid run before that. The Brazilian joined the UFC in 2015; Brown came in a year later. Book ’em.

Brown’s next fight: Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos

The post What’s Next: UFC 274 Winners appeared first on Cageside Press.

For what was very possibly his penultimate outing in the UFC, Shogun Rua was running it back with Ovince Saint Preux. The light heavyweight rematch, eight years in the making, came as part of the UFC 274 main card at the Phoenix, AZ-based event on Saturday night.

A former UFC light heavyweight champ and Pride legend, Rua was looking to bounce back from a loss in another rematch, to Paul Craig. OSP had lost two straight, and was returning to light heavyweight after losing to Tanner Boser up a weight class.

It was all kicks to start the fight as both men were peppering the other’s legs. Shogun then fired in a left hook that connected. Rua continued kicking the legs of OSP and there was not much offense coming from OSP’s side. It was a very uneventful first round.

OSP was going to a front kick to the body early on in the second round as both fighters seemed reluctant to throw hands. Shogun was able to connect with a left hook not long after the start of the round. Saint Preux was hit with a right hand and didn’t send anything Shogun ate a body kick and landed a leg kick. OSP began throwing strikes near the end of the round, but the lack of urgency was concerning heading into the final round.

Saint Preux started the round with a clinch and a kick. OSP was showing more aggression in the final round, but the fight was still underwhelming in general with kicks from distance being the weapon of choice for both fighters. Saint Preux landed a left hook and a body kick. The fight came to an end to a chorus of boos from the crowd.

Ovince Saint Preux def. Shogun Rua by Split Decision (30-27, 29-28, 28-29)

The post UFC 274: Ovince Saint Preux Wins Underwhelming Rematch Against Shogun Rua appeared first on Cageside Press.

Ag.Fight was first to report the news that Maurício “Shogun” Rua will rematch Ovince St. Preux at the PPV event on April 9, 2022. A source close to the situation would confirm the 205lb match-up to Cageside Press. The pair of light heavyweights fought in 2014 in the main event of UFC Fight Night 56, but the fight only lasted 34 seconds as OSP knocked Rua out.

Rua (27-12-1) will be returning from a lengthy layoff when he steps into the octagon at UFC 274. He last fought at UFC 255 in December of 2020 against Paul Craig. Shogun would tap to strikes in the second round. There were rumors of the MMA legend possibly retiring after that fight; however, those have turned out to be just that— rumors. Instead, Shogun will be going into his third rematch in a row.

St. Preux (25-16) will be looking to get back into the win column and snap his two-fight losing streak. In his last outing, he was knocked out by Tanner Boser at heavyweight, and before that, he was finished by Jamahal Hill. OSP has been switching between light heavyweight and heavyweight in his last four fights. He will be return back to 205 in April.

UFC 274 takes place on May 7, 2022, at a location and venue yet to be announced. However, the event is rumored to take place in Phoenix, Arizona.

The UFC 274 card currently looks like this:

• Glover Teixeira (c) vs. Jiří Procházka – for the UFC light heavyweight championship
• Charles Oliveira (c) vs. Justin Gaethje – for the UFC lightweight championship
• Macy Chiasson vs. Norma Dumont
• Ariane Carnelossi vs. Loopy Godinez
• Blagoy Ivanov vs. Marcos Rogerio de Lima
• C.J. Vergara vs. Kleydson Rodrigues
• Joe Lauzon vs. Donald Cerrone
• Journey Newson vs. Fernie Garcia
• Brandon Royval vs. Matt Schnell
• Shogun Rua vs. Ovince St. Preux
• Michael Johnson vs. Alan Patrick

The post Shogun Rua vs. Ovince St. Preux 2 Added To UFC 274 appeared first on Cageside Press.

Alexander Volkov

Things didn’t go as planned for Volkov on Saturday night. The footwork, feints and quick hands of Cyril Gane pretty much stymied any offense he tried to impart. So what’s next for the former Bellator heavyweight champion? He’ll likely need to take a step back and fend off someone else storming up the rankings. A lot of the top of the division is already booked, so this seems like the only real option. Marcin Tybura is on a hell of a roll right now and could use a dance partner. Surprisingly, they never crossed paths in M-1 back in the day, but it seems to make all the sense in the world to do it now.

Alexander Volkov’s Next Fight: Marcin Tybura

Ovince Saint Preux

A loss to Tanner Boser this past weekend drops Ovince Saint Preux to just 1-3 in his last 4. It also drops him to an ugly 0-2 in heavyweight fights. Assuming that experiment is over, he’d have to fight a relative newcomer in his return to 205lbs. It may seem weird, but the one that makes the most sense is the man he was already booked with. Maxim Grishin is 1-2 in the UFC and I imagine they are looking to see if he is worth keeping around. It may be a loser-leaves-town match now that Saint Preux has another loss, but I say run it back.

Ovince Saint Preux’s Next Fight: Maxim Grishin

Raoni Barcelos

A long win streak comes to an end for Barcelos and in an unfortunate way. After nearly finishing Timur Valiev two or three times during the second round of their UFC Vegas 30 contest, Barcelos took his first UFC loss. The win would have likely put him in the rankings, but instead he finds himself looking to get back on the right track. Jonathan Martinez might be the right opponent for that. After a nice little streak of his own, Martinez was KO’d by Davey Grant. Their exciting striking styles could make it really fun to watch and get one back towards their ultimate goal.

Raoni Barcelos’ Next Fight: Jonathan Martinez

Nicolas Dalby

The loss at UFC Vegas 30 to Tim Means basically dropped Dalby to 2-2 since he returned to the UFC (technically one loss was overturned to a no-contest due to a positive drug test from Jesse Ronson). While he’s faced good competition, he’s yet to pull a really big win out of there. The same could be said for Lyman Good. 3-3 in his stint, Good has losses to Belal Muhammad and Demian Maia. Both could use to pick up a win over the other’s caliber. I also thing it could devolve into some pretty crazy violence on a prelim sometime in the near future.

Nicolas Dalby’s Next Fight: Lyman Good

The post What’s Next: UFC Vegas 30 Losers appeared first on Cageside Press.