UFC Light Heavyweight Bout: Mauricio Rua vs. Ovince St. Preux
Odds: ( -185 Rua / +160 St. Preux )
Betting Pick: Shogun Rua
Bet on this fight at Bovada
This Saturday UFC Fight Night come to us all the way from Uberlandia, Brazil. At the top of the card comes a fight you will not want to miss with Mauricio “Shogun” Rua (22-9-0) vs. Ovince Saint Preux (16-6-0). What interest me the most about this fight is seeing who’s ready to be back in the octagon following pretty bad loses. Each fighter I assure you is ready but only one will show us they are ready to take their game back to where it once was.
Mauricio “Shogun” Rua
We can all start off by being honest with ourselves by saying we aren’t going to see the Shogun of old, right? Shogun did just come off a bad loss last March that ended in a broken nose and some serious time away from the octagon. Maybe all Shogun needed was a little time away to figure out what exactly happened in March. Shogun has some serious talents that I think will be refined and ready to go on Saturday night. His ground-game, grappling, striking, and power are all done with a soundness fighters can only dream of. Not only are his strikes powerful, they’re fast as well. Shogun lands nearly 3.6 significant strikes per minute in a typical fight throughout his UFC career. Good news for Shogun, this fight will not be a typical one. His opponent, St. Peru, is just as bad at defense as Shogun is. My advice for Shogun, be ready to hit someone. Those spots are going to come early and often, just don’t blink or you’ll be in a double before you can even think of the next round
Ovince Saint Perux
Here again we have a talented fight coming off a lose he definitely wishes he can have back. St. Peru lost by decision just this last August is a very lackluster performance to say the least. St. Perux though is a very talented fight and in no way should Shogun be taking this fight easily just because he’s a replacement. With a college football and wrestling background, this guy is the epitome of an athlete. He shadows over Shogun in nearly every physical category but can move his feet with the best of them. Now, if Saint Peru could just move his head as well as his feet, this match would probably be a different story. Over 50% of all opponents strikes hit Saint Perux and with the power behind “Shogun” that worries me a little. These aren’t going to be punch he’ll able to just shrug off because they’ll come in bunches. My advice for Saint Perux, find your spots to take him down and keep him there. Use your power from close range overpower “Shogun” and land a few brutal blows that could possibly end it.
Prediction
The experience of “Shogun” will over-shadow any type of physical dominance Saint Perux might have. Do I think we’ll see the “Shogun” of old, no, but do I think that we’ll see a “Shogun” bring a new aspect to the octagon we’ve never seen before, absolutely.
Winner : Mauricio “Shogun” Rua by Unanimous Decision
To Add a little excitement on fight night, you can bet on this fight at Bovada.Iv Odds. Check out my review of Bovada here…