Jamahal Hill looks to maintain his unbeaten record against Ovince Saint Preux, who made a winning return to 205lbs in his last contest. Will Hill be able to put on a performance to make the rest of the light heavyweight division take notice or will Saint Preux stop another rising prospect in his tracks?
Ovince Saint Preux (25–14) has been a UFC competitor since 2013. He has beaten former light heavyweight champion Maurício Rua by KO 34 seconds into their fight in Brazil in November 2014, securing a Performance of the Night (POTN) bonus, but was dominated by another former champion, Jon Jones, in a unanimous decision loss at UFC 197.
Saint Preux has a 13–9 UFC record with the Haitian-American won six of his first seven fights. In his most recent, he beat Alonzo Menifield by KO with 53 seconds of round two remaining in a POTN as he returned to the light heavyweight division following an unsuccessful bout at heavyweight.
Amazing each and every time 🤯
Can @003_OSP lock in Von Flue choke No. 5️⃣ tomorrow night?
[ #UFCVegas16 | Saturday | LIVE on #ESPNPlus and ESPN2 ] pic.twitter.com/0pEYObrKsF
— UFC (@ufc) December 4, 2020
Saint Preux knows a submission win will see him as the outright record holder for most UFC light heavyweight submissions (6) and joint record holder for most UFC light heavyweight stoppages (11 with Glover Teixeira); he already holds the record for the most Von Flue choke wins in UFC history with four. “OSP” has ten UFC finishes, six in round one and six by submission, and five losses by decision.
Saint Preux missed weight for the first time in his career this weekend, coming in at 207.5lbs on the scales. He will be hoping that any issues during the cut will not hinder his performance when he comes face to face with Hill.
Jamahal Hill (7-0-0, 1NC) is the former KnockOut Promotions light heavyweight champion and won his UFC contract on the third series of Dana White’s Contender Series. Having won his first UFC bout, his most recent was ruled a no-contest against Klidson Abreu after Hill tested positive for marijuana after securing a first-round TKO in the octagon in May.
“Sweet Dreams” has never won by submission and against Saint Preux I expect him to try and keep the fight standing in an attempt to land a knockout blow. Hill is eight years younger than Saint Preux and much less experienced so will want to avoid being taken down where he is in danger of getting caught in a submission attempt.
Time for the world to know exactly what I am DOMINATE.#UFCVEGAS16 #SweetDreamsEra #TouchemupUniversity pic.twitter.com/r434w7m90g
— Jamahal Hill (@JamahalH) December 2, 2020
Hill has three professional wins by TKO and four by unanimous decision, and a victory in this co-main event slot could see him enter the 205lbs rankings. After seeing his last appearance ruled a no contest he will be keen to put on a performance and maintain his unbeaten record.
Prediction: Saint Preux by submission.
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