8. Ilir Latifi vs. Ovince St. Preux
UFC on Fox 28
Feb. 24 | Orlando, Florida
Due to the uncertainty surrounding Jon Jones, Daniel Cormier’s return to heavyweight and the shallow nature of the rest of the 205-pound weight class, the showdown between Latifi and St. Preux takes on added importance. Latifi, 34, has won four of his past five bouts, a knockout loss to Ryan Bader his only misstep. Spawned by the same Allstars Training Center outfit that produced Alexander Gustafsson, “The Sledgehammer” last competed at UFC 215, where he claimed a unanimous decision from Tyson Pedro on Sept. 9. On a run of three consecutive finishes, St. Preux has not fought since he cut down Corey Anderson with a head kick 1:25 into the third round of their UFC 217 encounter in November. Wins over Yushin Okami, Patrick Cummins, Nikita Krylov and Mauricio Rua highlight the former University of Tennessee defensive end’s resume.

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