VFL St. Preux to Headline UFC Fight Night

[VOLywood]

Ovince St. Preux will be in the main event fight vs. Ryan Bader at UFC Fight Night, Bangor, ME on Aug 16, 2014.

St. Preux must be turning some heads with his performances, because Bader is the real deal. This will be a huge opportunity for St. Preux to jump into the thick of the UFC Light Heavyweight division with a win.

UFC Fight Night

 

[chad4930]

This is a huge chance to get noticed and be right in the mix for a title shot in the near future.

VOLywood, love the avi. What's worse, to speak no english or to only speak Howard Cosell? That movie cracks me up still.

 

[VOLywood]

This is a huge chance to get noticed and be right in the mix for a title shot in the near future.

VOLywood, love the avi. What's worse, to speak no english or to only speak Howard Cosell? That movie cracks me up still.

Thanks chad, I'm a product of 80's pop-culture. Definitely one of my all-time fav's.

 

[ManningBerry#1]

Hope he's wearing orange.

 

[coach12]

I agree. Bader isn't the top tier of the light heavy division, but he is a solid fighter that commands respect within his weight class. A victory or even a strong showing against Bader would certainly catapult our VFL into the mix.

Also, the UT AD should get him some custom UT fight trunks made (perhaps Nike would do it. Refer to DeerPark on plausibility) and send it to him in case he'd like to wear them. Don't know if there are PR concerns that prevent that, but it would be quality exposure. Not to mention, show support to St. Preaux from the UT family.

 

[Skullbone]

Bump. It's on this Saturday. It's time the UFC felt the power of the Volnation army. OSP has been back to support Tennessee as a VFL this year and I feel like we need to return the love and dominate the UFC fans this weekend like we do in everything else.

 

[Notorious B.E.N]

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[Bms4880]

"My arm is broken!!!!" - Ryan Jimmo

 

[Diceman]

I agree. Bader isn't the top tier of the light heavy division, but he is a solid fighter that commands respect within his weight class. A victory or even a strong showing against Bader would certainly catapult our VFL into the mix.

Also, the UT AD should get him some custom UT fight trunks made (perhaps Nike would do it. Refer to DeerPark on plausibility) and send it to him in case he'd like to wear them. Don't know if there are PR concerns that prevent that, but it would be quality exposure. Not to mention, show support to St. Preaux from the UT family.

I'm sure he'd like to wear some custom UT shorts as long as they put his sponsors on them. OSP is always wearing Vols gear, or at the very least orange. This should be a very interesting fight. I think these guys are pretty evenly matched in most aspects of the game, with Bader having more experience against the elite of the division, and probably being a little more technically sound in the standup and wrestling portions. OSP is a bit more athletic though, and I think his submission/BJJ game is a little better. Both guys have one punch/kick knockout power, so OSP will need to stay tight. He can get a little loose/sloppy on the feet sometimes, and Bader can definitely make him pay if he's not careful. OSP also seems to improve every time out, as you might expect with a guy without a ton of experience that is still working on the technical side of a lot of parts of his game, so it will be interesting to see how he's improved. I'm also interested to see what his game plan is for this fight. He's never seemed to be one of those fighters that goes in there with a strict strategy that he tries to implement, but instead seems to go where the fight takes him. I'm predicting a split decision win for OSP. I may be picking with my heart on that, because this is really a toss-up in my mind, and I wouldn't bet on OSP winning. Bader is pretty much playing the gatekeeper role at this point in his career, so a win here might put OSP one win away from a title shot (could very well be two more) depending on how he looks. Any other hardcore MMA fans agree/disagree with my assessment of the fighters and this fight?

 

[cbbowlingmd]

Hope he's wearing orange.

I'm sure he'll have his traditional UT toboggan (yes, I'm from the South - Knoxville actually).

 

[VOLywood]

Bump. It's on this Saturday. It's time the UFC felt the power of the Volnation army. OSP has been back to support Tennessee as a VFL this year and I feel like we need to return the love and dominate the UFC fans this weekend like we do in everything else.

Thanks for the bump, I was just coming back to do the same. Hope OSP has a big time performance in this fight. Currently ranked #10, would obviously give him a nice boost in the rankings.

 

[VOLywood]

Diceman, I think you have a pretty good assessment, but I think Bader has realized his potential in the division and knows he will not get a title shot. He has most likely been relegated to the role of gatekeeper, as was mentioned, which is traditionally the role of UFC veterans in this situation. The vets win percentage usually takes a sharp decline when they are fighting for pay rather than fighting to prove they deserve a title shot. I think OSP has the edge based on that. He has the potential to get a title shot with 2-3 more wins and has a versatile style that leads to exciting fights which the UFC likes. The x-factor is that both of these guys have serious punching power, so the fight can be over in a blink with the smallest mistake.

 

[Skullbone]

OSP has the momentum advantage, but he'll still be considered the underdog going into this fight. However, Jimmo was also a step up in competition for OSP much like Bader, and we all saw what happened there. I think OSP is in a great position to get a victory and propel himself into the serious contender discussion going forward. This very well could equate to a make or break fight at least as far as a title run is concerned.

 

[BadJerry20]

Huge fight for OSP, been following him since his Strikeforce days. He has been pretty outstanding his last 14 fights only losing to Gegard. I'm guessing if he wins this he probably gets a Phil Davis type of guy. He's making a pretty steady climb, hopefully he can keep it up. Realistically he's probably 3-4 fights away from sniffing a title shot.

 

[Notorious B.E.N]

Huge fight for OSP, been following him since his Strikeforce days. He has been been pretty outstanding his last 14 fights only losing to Gegard. I'm guessing if he wins this he probably gets a Phil Davis type of guy. He's making a pretty steady climb, hopefully he can keep it up. Realistically he's probably 3-4 fights away from sniffing a title shot.

 

[BadJerry20]

I thought that might get your attention, I almost said Shad at first. Lol

 

[BadJerry20]

Yeah he played at UT, it should stay here so non fight fans can see what a former Vol is doing.

 

[BadJerry20]

Poof lol

 

[Notorious B.E.N]

Poof lol

Lol

 

[Diceman]

The one thing in my post that I definitely think I was off about was him possibly only needing another win or two after this one to get a title shot. With Cormier moving to LHW, and the logjam they have at the very top of the division with Bones and Gus' injuries, he's probably at least 3 fights away from a title shot, assuming he keeps winning. This also of course depends on who he fights next, and how he wins. Outside of the other 3 guys I mentioned though, there aren't a whole lot of viable contenders, so a couple of dominating performances could definitely put him firmly in the discussion. Let's all hope he continues his "Rise to the Top"

 

[BadJerry20]

Don't forget Rumble my friend. I say Jones, DC, Gusfasson and Rumble are the class of the division. Then you have Evans, Davis, and Glover. Then everyone else, a win over Bader would move him near the top of the everyone else category. A decisive win and he probably would get Shad or Phil. If it's close I could see maybe Shogun or Hendo just to help build up his name.

 

[Diceman]

Don't forget Rumble my friend. I say Jones, DC, Gusfasson and Rumble are the class of the division. Then you have Evans, Davis, and Glover. Then everyone else, a win over Bader would move him near the top of the everyone else category. A decisive win and he probably would get Shad or Phil. If it's close I could see maybe Shogun or Hendo just to help build up his name.

I don't know how I forgot about Rumble! Dude is abusing people. It's incredible that he ever fought at 170, he looks huge at LHW. Why not Rumble for a number one contender match with a decisive win? Bader is probably just as good of a win as Lil Nog at this point in their careers. Mostly wishful thinking, but I'd like to see it. On the other hand, a fight against one of the 4 you mentioned may be better for his development and career in the long run.

 

[BadJerry20]

I don't know how I forgot about Rumble! Dude is abusing people. It's incredible that he ever fought at 170, he looks huge at LHW. Why not Rumble for a number one contender match with a decisive win? Bader is probably just as good of a win as Lil Nog at this point in their careers. Mostly wishful thinking, but I'd like to see it. On the other hand, a fight against one of the 4 you mentioned may be better for his development and career in the long run.

Yeah Rumble has been very impressive since the move to LHW. I like OSP but I think that might be too big of a jump in competition right now. Plus the UFC would lose one of the 4 legit contenders to Jones. Like you said in a previous post, with the Jones injury the top is logjammed right now. Jones vs DC in January, then the winner probably will get AG around late April/early May. I would imagine if Rumble keeps winning he would get the next shot around Sept of next year, I have a feeling we see Rumble vs Glover soon. That would give OSP a chance to fight 3 more times, say Shogun/Hendo then Shad/Phil then one of the guys that will lose DC/Gustafsson/Jones then the title shot if he keeps winning. That would help his development and build his rep with casual fans and his ability to be a good PPV draw. Just my opinion

 

[VOLywood]

Yeah Rumble has been very impressive since the move to LHW. I like OSP but I think that might be too big of a jump in competition right now. Plus the UFC would lose one of the 4 legit contenders to Jones. Like you said in a previous post, with the Jones injury the top is logjammed right now. Jones vs DC in January, then the winner probably will get AG around late April/early May. I would imagine if Rumble keeps winning he would get the next shot around Sept of next year, I have a feeling we see Rumble vs Glover soon. That would give OSP a chance to fight 3 more times, say Shogun/Hendo then Shad/Phil then one of the guys that will lose DC/Gustafsson/Jones then the title shot if he keeps winning. That would help his development and build his rep with casual fans and his ability to be a good PPV draw. Just my opinion

I've heard speculation that Gustaffson may have to take a fight between now and a title shot, even though he is saying he will refuse. We know he won't get matched up against another top contender, so a Shogun/Hendo/Shad matchup might make sense for AG. I think a Phil Davis matchup for OSP makes sense if he beats Bader, then maybe a match against a lower ranked opponent, then a jump up to someone near the top.

 

[BadJerry20]

I've heard speculation that Gustaffson may have to take a fight between now and a title shot, even though he is saying he will refuse. We know he won't get matched up against another top contender, so a Shogun/Hendo/Shad matchup might make sense for AG. I think a Phil Davis matchup for OSP makes sense if he beats Bader, then maybe a match against a lower ranked opponent, then a jump up to someone near the top.

That first sentence annoys me greatly. He should have gotten an immediate rematch after the first fight. A fight he won IMO. I would be alright with watching him punch Shad in the face i guess.

A Phil vs OSP matchup would be fun. The reason I say Shad or Hendo is just for name building purposes. Of course all of this talk is for not if he loses to Bader.

I've been a fan since UFC 1. BJ, Rampage, Bas, now Pettis, AG, and Reem are some of my favorite fighters. But it's kind of cool having former Vol to cheer for now.