The light heavyweight division is shallow in terms of capable bodies in the UFC, so every win is huge. That can especially be said about Ovince Saint Preux‘s performance Saturday night. He scored a big knockout win over Patrick Cummins.
Saint Preux, a former collegiate football player, has been successful since coming to the UFC. With last night’s victory, he took a giant leap forward in the division, as the underrated 205’er inched closer to the title picture.
He took out Cummins, a guy many thought would outwrestle him for three rounds, with a violent multiple-punch knockout. It was an exciting finish that had fans on their feet.
Where does Saint Preux go next from here? Let’s examine three fights that could be up next for OSP.
Jimi Manuwa
Watching OSP‘s brutal knockout of Cummins Saturday night reminded me of another brutal striker at 205 by the name of Jimi Manuwa. That leads me to believe that could be a fun matchup.
Manuwa will be mending a knee injury for a while, but a return bout against OSP makes sense. Both men are rising in the divisional rankings and each would benefit from a win over the other.
Power vs. power is always intriguing. That’s why this potential main card bout has all the interest of this writer and other MMA fans.
Glover Teixeira/Alexander Gustafsson Winner
Glover Teixeira and Alexander Gustafsson, two Top 10 light heavyweights, are scheduled to throw down in Germany as the main event of a UFC Fight Night.
Both men have had title shots and are at the top of the division. However, they are a couple fights away from a title shot. That’s why whoever wins that bout should get another fight before challenging for the title.
That’s where OSP comes in.
He is making a beeline toward the title picture and can get into serious consideration if he were to not only get a fight with one of these two but win it. It’s an interesting matchup, to say the least.
Rashad Evans
Rashad Evans has been on the sidelines due to injury for a while. When he’s ready to make a return, OSP could be his first test after said injury.
Evans is a former champion and a major obstacle for OSP‘s march toward the title. It would be a good measuring test for Evans to see where he is in his return, while it would be a preparation fight for OSP to see if he is good enough for a title shot.
Both men are athletic and powerful. It could be a Fight of the Night in the making.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com