Ryan Bader continues serving as the light heavyweight division’s foremost gatekeeper, and he has officially declared that Ovince St. Preux’s name is “not on the list.” Now, he finds himself in an oddly familiar position, straddling the chasm between Co…
Ryan Bader continues serving as the light heavyweight division’s foremost gatekeeper, and he has officially declared that Ovince St. Preux’s name is “not on the list.” Now, he finds himself in an oddly familiar position, straddling the chasm between Contendersville and Stepping Stone Land.
Now riding a three-fight winning streak, there is legitimate cause to believe that his longtime struggles against top-10 competition may be a thing of the past. Then again, his losses to LyotoMachida, Jon Jones and Glover Teixeira still loom large on his record, even with his recent efficacy.
Depending on whom his next opponent is, and how he performs, he could either be relegated to lifetime midcard status or be in the thick of contention. So whom could he face? And how might that fight pan out?
Find out right here!
Anthony Johnson
The rise of Anthony “Rumble” Johnson from middling UFC welterweight to WSOF staple to fearsome light heavyweight contender has been one of the biggest stories of 2014. Unfortunately for Johnson, champion Jon Jones is booked solid for the next 12 months. That leaves him with plenty of time to take on new challenges, and a solid option would be Ryan Bader.
For Bader, a fight with Johnson represents the opportunity to trampoline into contention for the first time since 2010. For Johnson, who already has all sorts of hype behind him, Bader is pretty much the best opponent available to him, outside a fight with Alexander Gustafsson (which Gustafsson‘s camp is actively resisting).
Depending on how dinged up Bader is, the fight can potentially be put together soon and fits nicely into the main event of a Fight Night or UFC on Fox card.
Alexander Gustafsson
I know, I know…
Gustafsson is holding out for Jon Jones. Still, the reality is that Jon Jones vs. Daniel Cormier is four months away. Jones is very obviously avoiding the rematch and could easily choose not to fightGustafsson the same way he did ahead of his fight with Glover Teixeira.
Still, Jones vs. Gustafsson 2 is a fight the UFC would like to preserve, and the best way to do that would be keeping the Swede in the win column. Bader, who is a favorable stylistic matchup, would be an ideal opponent to keep “The Mauler” in the win column.
Patrick Cummins (or IlirLatifi)
For the first time in a long time, the light heavyweight division has a number of rising stars. Two of those fighters are Patrick Cummins and IlirLatifi. Both took on established veterans on short notice, both lost those fights, but both have since proven themselves to be legitimate talents.
While Bader may seem like “too much, too soon” for men with just three UFC bouts apiece…have you seen them? Both looked absolutely fearsome against formidable veterans, and both look like they are ready for a shot at ranked talent.
Cummins is by far the better option for the UFC (they likely want to groom Latifi to be a staple fighter for shows in Sweden), but both make sense. Neither of these fighters have anything on their plate, so a fight could be made with little difficulty.
There were times when it seemed like nobody wanted to be there.
Ryan Bader succeeded only in spurts, Ovince Saint Preux finished looking lost and tired, and as the clock crept past 1 a.m. local time in Bangor, Maine, many spectators began to openl…
There were times when it seemed like nobody wanted to be there.
Ryan Bader succeeded only in spurts, Ovince Saint Preux finished looking lost and tired, and as the clock crept past 1 a.m. local time in Bangor, Maine, many spectators began to openly wonder if the UFC Fight Night 47 main event really needed five rounds.
In the end, the better-prepared, better-rounded Bader asserted a kind of dominance, winning a unanimous decision (48-47, 49-46, 49-46) over the overmatched Saint Preux. With it, he ran his win streak to three consecutive fights and will likely improve on his No. 8 standing in the UFC’s official light heavyweight rankings.
Whether any other spoils are in store for him remains unclear.
This was the sort of long, tedious fight that left fans questioning almost everything about what they’d just seen.
Did Bader and Saint Preux really deserve top billing? Did either guy manage to bolster his stock? Can Bader suddenly reinvent himself as a capable top contender after 15 fights and nearly six years inside the Octagon?
And why was OSP’s cornerman yelling so loud before that last round? Didn’t he know what time it was?
There are top-level 205-pounders who need fights right now (Anthony Johnson and Alexander Gustafsson, to name a couple), but neither Bader or Saint Preux looked ready to take them on. This was not a stellar performance from anyone, and when it was over, even the winner seemed to know that.
“It was a tough fight. OSP’s really tough,” a visibly exhausted Bader told UFC play-by-play announcer Jon Anik in the cage after his win was announced. “I had to rely on my takedowns at the end. I didn’t feel my hands tonight. A little slow, but I got it done.”
He came to the cage appearing slimmed down, perhaps in an effort to improve on cardio that had failed him in the past. Bader was indeed the fresher (and all around better) fighter, taking Saint Preux down seemingly at will and avoiding most of the former Tennessee football player’s rangy, unorthodox strikes.
Bader was the more complete guy from the opening bell, winning the first round with his straighter punches and the grappling game he honed as a two-time NCAA Division I All-American wrestler at Arizona State. But Saint Preux battled back to win the second, and though Bader had more or less proved his point as the first 15 minutes expired, it still felt as though the fight could go either way.
During the championship rounds, Bader’s wrestling wore Saint Preux down, eventually snapping a five-fight win streak built largely against lesser opponents. It didn’t wow the crowd, though, and didn’t leave Bader looking like a legitimate threat to the light heavyweight elite.
A stoppage would’ve been nice, not only because of the hour but because Saint Preux is still obviously such a work in progress. A guy who has been taking on the best in his weight class as long as Bader has should’ve been able to make a statement against a foe as imperfect as OSP.
Instead, the statements made themselves.
Bader is still better than some fans and analysts give him credit for—there were a lot of people picking Saint Preuxto pull the upset here—but he’s not suddenly going to remake himself as UFC champion. This is who he is: a big, tough, limited fighter who is just slightly better than everybody but the Top Five (or Top Six) guys in his weight class.
As for Saint Preux, perhaps the scariest thing is that more often than not, he still has no idea what he’s doing. The fact that he’s gone 13-2 since Feb. 2010 while looking very much like he’s making it up as he goes should make a lot of B-list light heavyweights feel pretty nervous. If he could ever figure things out in the limited window he’s got left (he’s already 31 years old), OSP could really be something.
Therein lies the rub of the UFC’s new supercharged schedule.
On nights when the stars align and everything comes up aces—like it did during the majority of the company’s four July events—we’re able to tell ourselves that nothing is wrong.
But evenings like Fight Night 47 are different. On this night, the broadcast felt so superfluous and poorly paced that not even five consecutive main card stoppages could save it. As a lackluster main event between two obviously flawed competitors stretched into the wee hours, we started asking ourselves uncomfortable questions.
Ryan Bader reminded the world of his presence as a contender in the light heavyweight division on Saturday night by routing Ovince St. Preux in the main event of UFC Fight Night 47.
There is something to be said about experience in big moments.
Ba…
Ryan Bader reminded the world of his presence as a contender in the light heavyweight division on Saturday night by routing Ovince St. Preux in the main event of UFC Fight Night 47.
There is something to be said about experience in big moments.
Bader has competed against the best the light heavyweight division has to offer. He even headlined a UFC Fight Night card a year ago against Glover Teixeira. St. Preux, on the other hand, entered Saturday night’s headliner as a relatively raw and unfinished product.
It was evident from the start that the former University of Tennessee football player was in over his head. He appeared incredibly tense throughout the fight and opted to swing wild punches instead of properly setting up his striking offense. He also kept his hands dangerously low in an effort to thwart Bader’s takedown attempts.
Bader, a bona fide veteran, took advantage of St. Preux’s inexperience by remaining patient on the feet and constantly capitalizing on opportunities to drag the fight to the floor. By the end of the first round, it was obvious St. Preux’s cardio suffered from a huge adrenaline dump, as he quickly let off the gas and kept glancing at the clock.
It wasn’t the most exciting performance, but Bader’s ability to secure takedowns and ride out time on top was enough to earn the nod of the judges.
“For a while there, I kind of got away from [my wrestling] a little bit,” Bader admitted at the post-fight press conference. “I feel like all my losses are when I tried to go out there and exclusively kickbox with guys. You know like Glover, Lyoto [Machida], Jon Jones. I need to mix everything up.”
Bader’s renewed philosophy on fighting could land him a shot against a top five light heavyweight contender in his next outing. As for St. Preux, the 31-year-old is still a young and developing star.
A little more time and experience could yield different results in the future.
JordyMcElroy is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA writer for Rocktagon.
By giving Ovince Saint Preux a 25-mintute lesson in wrestling 101, Ryan Bader proved he is more than just a gatekeeper in the light heavyweight division at UFC Fight Night 47.
The former Arizona State NCAA Division I All-American wrestler once again di…
By giving Ovince Saint Preux a 25-mintute lesson in wrestling 101, Ryan Bader proved he is more than just a gatekeeper in the light heavyweight division at UFC Fight Night 47.
The former Arizona State NCAA Division I All-American wrestler once again ditched the sloppy standup and continued to rely on his wrestling roots to regain traction in a crowded division.
This is what we learned from Bader’s decision victory over St. Preux in Saturday night’s main event.
What We’ll Remember About This Fight
It certainly wasn’t the most exciting fight on the card, but Bader’s ability to remain composed and stick with his wrestling shows incredible growth and maturity.
St. Preux made things difficult on the feet in the open by utilizing a lot of feints and quickly covering distance. Bader nullified the former football player’s explosiveness by patiently waiting for openings to counter and constantly transitioning between striking and takedowns.
St. Preux still looked green against a veteran opponent. He was never able to settle into a rhythm and looked relatively uncomfortable throughout the fight. The brunt of his offense relied heavily on swinging haymakers out of an unguarded stance.
What We Learned From Ryan Bader
As long as he sticks to his wrestling, Bader remains a viable threat at 205 pounds.
He still needs to shore up holes in his striking and perhaps aim to be more effective with his ground-and-pound. Outside of those two things, Bader has the skills necessary to be a serious contender at light heavyweight.
It’s easy to forget that his only losses have come at the hands of Jon Jones, LyotoMachida, Tito Ortiz and Glover Teixeira. He nearly defeated Teixeira, if not for being overzealous and getting caught up in wild standup exchanges.
What We Learned From Ovince Saint Preux
St. Preux has a lot of potential, but he isn’t quite ready for the UFC spotlight.
In his first ever UFC main event bout, St. Preux tried to force everything and appeared too gun-happy. Every punch was thrown with reckless abandonment, and there wasn’t any real effort to set up any offense.
St. Preux’s gas tank was running on empty for most of the fight, which made it easier for Bader to set up takedowns and ride out the clock from top position. There also wasn’t much effort from St. Preux in utilizing his jab, which proved to be extremely effective the rare times it was actually thrown.
As a developing fighter, St. Preux should be able to chalk this bout up as a learning experience.
What’s Next for Ryan Bader
With a win over St. Preux and former Strikeforce champ Rafael Cavalcante, Bader has earned the right to test himself against a top-five light heavyweight.
What’s Next for Ovince Saint Preux
It’s back to the drawing board for St. Preux. A return bout against a top-15 opponent like Cavalcante or JimiManuwa should be a stiff enough test to get his career back on the upswing.
JordyMcElroy is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA writer for Rocktagon.
The race to become a future title contender in the UFC light heavyweight division is still taking shape and the main event of Fight Night 47 put the spotlight on two fighters who were looking to take a big step toward the top of the division.
Both Ryan…
The race to become a future title contender in the UFC light heavyweight division is still taking shape and the main event of Fight Night 47 put the spotlight on two fighters who were looking to take a big step toward the top of the division.
Both Ryan Bader and Ovince Saint Preux had put together solid winning streaks going into their showdown on Saturday night, and there was plenty on the line when they collided in Bangor, Maine.
The Ultimate Fighter season eight winner had found success in three of his last four outings coming into Fight Night 47, including dominant one-sided victories in his two most recent showings.
The former Arizona State University wrestling standout’s wins over Anthony Perosh and Rafael Cavalcante brought him one step closer to earning a place in the elite tier of the 205-pound fold, and he was going to need to add another notch in the win column against Saint Preux to carve out his place on the light heavyweight divisional hierarchy.
The same rang true for OSP, as the former University of Tennessee football player had been making waves of his own under the UFC banner. The former Strikeforce veteran won his first four showings inside the Octagon, and a win over Bader would catapult him into a whole new level of competition at 205.
While Saint Preux had quietly climbed the ladder going into Saturday night, a main event showcase against a perennial Top 10 staple was going to be the biggest test of his career.
Once the cage door closed, a grind fest began. While both fighters were slinging heavy shots in the early goings, the main story of the fight was Bader’s wrestling. The Power MMA leader used his grappling pedigree to slam and roll Saint Preux all around the Octagon en route to the unanimous decision victory. It wasn’t pretty, but OSP had zero answers for the wrestling prowess of the heavy-handed, Arizona-based fighter.
While the main event featured two fighters looking to solidify themselves as potential title contenders, the co-main event was fought under different circumstances.
Gray Maynard was once considered one of the top lightweight fighters in the world, but the Bully had fallen on rough times as of late and desperately needed a victory to remain relevant in the ultra-competitive mix at 155 pounds. A win over Ross Pearson would prove he still had more to give inside the Octagon. However, a loss would prove disastrous for a fighter who nearly claimed the lightweight strap back in 2011.
It was a similar picture for the Real Deal. Where the former TUF winner was once a promising prospect at 155 pounds, a rocky patch sent the British slugger looking for success in featherweight waters.
Unfortunately for Pearson, he would meet even more adversity and decided to return to his natural weight class in hopes of re-establishing his footing. While his fights against Melvin Guillard and Diego Sanchez would end in controversial fashion, the Englishman still felt he had some momentum going into his tilt with Maynard at Fight Night 47.
There was plenty on the line between the two lightweights, and it was Pearson who would take the big step forward. The Real Deal weathered Maynard’s aggression in the first round only to catch the former title challenger with a stiff shot in the second and pound out the victory. It was undoubtedly the biggest win of Pearson’s career, and he did it in impressive fashion.
In addition to the two bouts at the top of the card, there was plenty of action that went down in Bangor on Saturday night. There were plenty of good scraps and a few phenomenal comebacks that showed just how unpredictable MMA can be.
Let’s take a look at the good, bad and strange from Fight Night 47.
The Good
Ryan Bader is a fighter who has always been close to breaking through into the elite level of the light heavyweight division. The 31-year-old has put together several streaks throughout his time in the UFC, but each time Darth appeared to be gaining momentum, he would suffer a setback at the hands of one of the divisional elite.
That said, the Power MMA leader has been on a hot streak as of late and had won two consecutive fights heading into his tilt with Ovince Saint Preux. The bout with OSP represented his last step before elevating to the next level of competition in the 205-pound fold, and the Arizona-based fighter handled the challenge with ease.
Though Bader has been known to get caught up in slug fests in the past, he stuck to his game plan against Saint Preux and consistently put the former University of Tennessee football player on his back.
When the final bell sounded, it was Bader winning the unanimous decision victory to pick up his third consecutive win inside the Octagon. While Bader said he was going to address a few injuries in the aftermath of this fight during his post-match interview, a potential bout with either Alexander Gustafsson, Rashad Evans, or Anthony Johnson would make perfect sense.
Coming into Fight Night 47, Ross Pearson had been riding an emotional roller coaster. His two most recent fights had ended in controversial fashion, and while he was unable to notch a win in either bout, the Real Deal still felt he had some solid momentum heading into Saturday night.
While the British slugger was originally slated to face Abel Trujillo on the card, an injury suffered by the Team Blackzilians fighter forced him to withdraw, and the UFC tapped former title challenger Gray Maynard to step into the co-main event slot opposite Pearson. Although a last-minute change of opponent can be difficult to deal with, the Bully had far more name value than Trujillo so Pearson was eager to accept.
The biggest question coming into the matchup was whether or not Pearson could stop Maynard’s wrestling, and it was an aspect he struggled with in the opening frame. Yet, as things got underway in the second round, Pearson picked up on Maynard’s timing and started to do damage with his boxing.
After Pearson dinged up Maynard with a few solid shots in the second round, he landed a stiff right that wobbled the perennial title contender. Once Pearson recognized he had his opponent in trouble, he amplified the pressure and pounded out the victory.
With the win over Maynard, the Sunderland, England native not only picks up the biggest win of his career, but will take a nice jump up the rankings in the 155-pound fold. It was a sharp performance for Pearson at Fight Night 47, and his next opponent will certainly come from the elite tier of the stacked lightweight division.
***
In 2012 Tim Boetsch was quietly making a case for title contention in the middleweight division. That said, losses in three of his next four fights pushed him to the edge of obscurity in the 185-pound fold. The Barbarian came into his bout against surging prospect Brad Tavares in desperate need of a victory, and in the early goings, that didn’t look like it was going to happen. The young Hawaiian battered Boetsch early, but as he’s proven in the past, the gritty veteran isn’t out until the referee steps in. And that’s precisely what happened.
As Tavares waded in with a right hand, Boetsch countered with a left that dropped the Ray Sefo protege to the canvas. Tavares attempted to scramble out, but Boetsch connected with a right hand and ended the fight. With the win, Boetsch will remain relevant in the middleweight division and picked up a huge win in front of his hometown crowd.
***
It was a wild frenzied fight between Seth Baczynski and Alan Jouban from the get go. Both fighters came out looking to impose their respective wills, and Baczynski had the edge early on when a left hook put the undefeated prospect down on the canvas. Yet Jouban would recover and turn the tides with a flurry of his own, putting the TUF alum away with a swarm of shots against the cage. In addition to making an impressive UFC debut, Jouban also showed he has heart to go along with his model looks.
***
The action in the heavyweight division can be unforgiving at times, and Shawn Jordan had certainly been on the business end of things recently. The former LSU alum had suffered back-to-back knockout losses coming into his tilt with Jack May on Saturday night and desperately needed a victory to keep his place on the UFC roster. While there was nothing pretty about it, Savage hung tough and ultimately pounded out the stoppage victory midway through the final round. The win over May is Jordan’s first victory since June 2013 and will ensure the American Top Team fighter lives to see another day inside the Octagon.
***
Thiago Tavares had been on the sideline for a good stretch but finally made his return to the Octagon at Fight Night 47. In addition to getting back to work, the stocky Brazilian was also making his featherweight debut against seasoned veteran Robbie Peralta. While there were questions as to how the lay off and weight cut would affect his performance, Tavares wasted no time silencing those doubts as he smashed the Californian via rear-naked choke en route to one of his most impressive showings in years.
***
Due to the current lack of depth in the upper tier of the flyweight division, the winner of the bout between Jussier Formiga and Zach Makovsky was going to take a huge step up the ladder. Both men had solid momentum going into the tilt, but when the action got underway it was all Formiga. The Brazilian outworked and out-wrestled the former NCAA Div. I standout en route to the unanimous decision victory. With the win over Fun Size, Formiga has now won three of his last four showings and is guaranteed to draw one of the division’s bigger names in his next outing.
***
Tom Watson came into Fight Night 47 needing a win, which is exactly what transpired in his tilt with Sam Alvey. Kong jumped out to an early lead in the bout as he battered Smiling Sam’s lead leg and scored frequently while fighting at a distance. The scrappy Brit was up two rounds on the judges’ cards going into the final frame and managed to survive a late charge from the MFC veteran to pick up his first win since February 2013.
***
When a fighter makes their UFC debut there is a lot of pressure to make a lasting impression, and Frankie Saenz let it all hang out. He came out after Nolan Ticman from the opening bell and kept the pressure on full steam until the final bell. While he wasn’t able to put his opponent away, Saenz’s performance was all heart and fury from the get go. When the final bell sounded, it was a clean sweep on the judges’ scorecards as Saenz picked up his first victory under the UFC banner.
The Bad
It is cliche to say a fighter’s back is against the wall, but that was certainly the case for Gray Maynard coming into Fight Night 47.
Where the Bully once had the lightweight strap within his grasp back in 2011, things have gone downhill for him in the three years since. After suffering a knockout at the hands of his rival Frankie Edgar in their trilogy bout at UFC 136, Maynard has found victory in only one of his four showings since, with each of his three defeats coming by way of getting finished by the opposition.
While the former three-time All-American looked sharp in the first round of his tilt against Ross Pearson on Saturday night, the Real Deal picked up on his timing and landed a starching right hand that wobbled Maynard in the second round. Once the Power MMA transplant was rocked, the British slugger poured it on and pounded out the stoppage with flurry on the canvas.
With the loss being Maynard’s third consecutive setback via knockout, it will be difficult for the former contender to hold onto his spot in the elite level of the division. Furthermore, Maynard suggested he had thoughts of retiring following his previous loss against Nate Diaz, so it will be interesting to see what decision he makes about his fighting career.
***
This may seem to be a strange place to put someone who actually won their fight, but Sara McMann really needed to show more. When she stepped in to face Lauren Murphy, it was the former Olympic silver medalist’s first outing since her disappointing loss to Ronda Rousey back in February. There is a lot of expectation surrounding McMann and that just wasn’t the performance she needed. While she jumped out to an early lead, the rest of the fight was spent stalling and riding out the clock. She ultimately took the split decision nod on the judges’ cards, but moved the needle she did not.
The Strange
After a lengthy layoff from UFC events, there was a high probability for some strangeness to occur when the action resumed inside the Octagon. Yet things were relatively quiet in Bangor, Maine on Saturday night.
While most of the bouts on the card were straight-up, action-packed scraps, there were two tilts that proved just how unpredictable mixed martial arts can be. Alan Jouban weathered an early storm to rebound and knockout Seth Baczynski, just as hometown hero Tim Boetsch bounced back from an early drubbing to level Hawaiian striker Brad Tavares.
In both cases, the fighters who ultimately emerged victorious were taking a beating only to snatch victory in brutal fashion. That’s what makes MMA a crazy game, folks. And that’s what makes every fight worth watching.
Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.
Ryan Bader defeated Ovince St. Preux at UFC Fight Night 47. In the night’s co-main event, Ross Pearson knocked out Gray Maynard.
There were other fights on the card. Most of them were pretty good. Unfortunately, terrible pacing really KILLED the card. It felt like an eternity between each fight. The six-fight main card started at 10 pm and didn’t finish until after 1 am. Brutal.
Remember when the UFC said they’d “put the ‘Bang’ in Bangor?” They didn’t.
Fortunately for you, we recapped the main card so you don’t have to sit through hours of terrible Nos commercials. Enjoy!
Ryan Bader defeated Ovince St. Preux at UFC Fight Night 47. In the night’s co-main event, Ross Pearson knocked out Gray Maynard.
There were other fights on the card. Most of them were pretty good. Unfortunately, terrible pacing really KILLED the card. It felt like an eternity between each fight. The six-fight main card started at 10 pm and didn’t finish until after 1 am. Brutal.
Remember when the UFC said they’d “put the ‘Bang’ in Bangor?” They didn’t.
Fortunately for you, we recapped the main card so you don’t have to sit through hours of terrible Nos commercials. Enjoy!
The first fight on the main card featured Thiago Tavares’ one-round drubbing of Robbie Peralta. Tavares took him down almost immediately, stymied him with top control, and sunk in a rear-naked choke.
Shawn Jordan vs. Jack May was up next. Imagine a Bellator heavyweight fight but even more lackluster and that’s what this fight looked like. Thankfully, May gassed in the third round, which allowed Jordan to take him down and land a TKO win via ground and pound. Let’s just forget about this one and move on.
Alan Jouban and Seth Baczynski got the terrible taste out of our mouths. After a bit of inactivity in the beginning the two started scrapping wildly. A huge right hand from Jouban caught Baczynski on the chin and DROPPED him straight the canvas. It was the cleanest KO we’ve seen in a while.
The next fight ended with an equally awesome knockout. Tim Boetsch met Brad Tavares. Tavares picked Boetsch apart the entire first round. Boetsch’s face looked like it had been thrown into a wood chipper. But Boetsch ultimately managed to channel his comeback spirit in the second frame and land a shot to Tavares’ chin that dropped him. Tavares managed to scramble back to his feet, but was dropped a second time. The fight was called, and Boetsch’s hand was raised.
The string of KOs continued with Gray Maynard vs. Ross Pearson. In the first round, Maynard out-wrestled Pearson. There wasn’t a ton of other action to discuss. In the second, Pearson landed a hook that wobbled Maynard and sent him to the floor. Maynard turtled up while Pearson landed tons of ground and pound. The fight was over. One has to think Maynard’s career might be over.
Unfortunately, the main event was easily one of the worst fights in recent memory. Ryan Bader smothered an overmatched Ovince St.Preux for five rounds. We have nothing more to say about it because it was terrible.
Here were the card’s complete results:
Main Card
Ryan Bader def. Ovince St. Preux via unanimous decision (48-47, 49-46, 49-46)
Ross Pearson def. Gray Maynard via TKO (punches) 1:35 of round 2
Tim Boetsch def. Brad Tavares via TKO (punches) 3:18 of round 2
Alan Jouban def. Seth Baczynski via KO (punches) 4:23 of round 1
Shawn Jordan def. Jack May via TKO (punches) 2:55 of round 3
Thiago Tavares def. Robbie Peralta via submission (rear-naked choke), 4:27 of round 1
Preliminary Card
Jussier Formiga def. Zach Makovsky via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Sara McMann def. Lauren Murphy via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Tom Watson def. Sam Alvey via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Frankie Saenz def. Nolan Ticman via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Ryan Bader continues serving as the light heavyweight division’s foremost gatekeeper, and he has officially declared that Ovince St. Preux’s name is “not on the list.” Now, he finds himself in an oddly familiar position, straddling the chasm between Contendersville and Stepping Stone Land.