Light Heavyweights
Philipe Lins (15-5, 1-2 UFC) vs. Ovince St. Preux (26-16, 14-11 UFC)This could be a bit ugly, but at least one of these light heavyweight veterans will walk out with some momentum. St. Preux has been a divisional stalwart for well over a decade at this point, even if things never quite clicked for “OSP” at a championship level. St. Preux rose through the ranks in Strikeforce as a prospect with a mountain of potential. A former University of Tennessee linebacker, St. Preux stood out as an athlete even in a division full of athletes. However, he never quite developed a consistent approach, instead accumulating what was essentially a grab bag of unorthodox tricks that managed to work thanks to St. Preux’s physical gifts, including a sudden turn as a master of the Von Flue choke of all things. St. Preux’s career had some high highs, but things are clearly on the downswing now that he is nearing 40 years old. He is still powerful and durable, but his offensive output has become anemic in his last few fights, even if he was still able to outwork Mauricio Rua for a tepid decision win in 2022. Perhaps things will look a bit better against Lins, who is looking to put together the first winning streak of his UFC career. Brazil’s “Monstro” had an unmemorable stint as a light heavyweight in Bellator MMA before landing in the Professional Fighters League as a heavyweight. There, he was able to run through all comers, win a million dollars via the company’s tournament and parlay that success into a UFC contract. Still, Lins’ first few trips to the Octagon were rough. He looked slow against Andrei Arlovski and Tanner Boser, getting knocked out by the latter, and then suffered a cascade of injuries that kept him out of action for two years. Lins’ intent to return at light heavyweight seemed like a poor idea—it figured to make him look even slower against faster competition—but he looked shockingly impressive in a win over Marcin Prachnio, finding some confidence as a bully while also appearing quicker and more athletic. It was enough of a sudden shift that it is still a bit hard to trust, but remains enough to give Lins the nod here. There is the chance that St. Preux is still accurate enough with one of his few strikes to put the American Top Team rep’s lights out, but it is much easier to bank on Lins’ aggression and activity to win a messy fight. The pick is Lins via decision.
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