UFC Fight Night 47: Bader vs. St-Preux Date: August 16, 2014 Location: Bangor, Maine Venue: Cross Insurance Center Broadcast: FOX Sports 1 UFC Light Heavyweight Contender Ryan Bader (-210) Ryan Bader (17-4) has won his last two fights over Anthony Perosh and Rafael Cavalcante in dominant fashion to re-emerge as one of the top 10 light heavyweights in the world. The 31-year-old wrestler won TUF season eight and has since gone on to achieve a 10-4 record in the UFC including four finishes. He has beaten everyone in the middle of the 205lb division and his only losses have come to the top dogs in the weight class like Jon Jones and Glover Teixeira. With a powerful wrestling base to go along with knockout power in his hands, Bader is one of the best at 205lbs and looks to continue his win streak with a victory over Ovince St-Preux at UFC Fight Night 47. UFC Light Heavyweight Contender Ovince St-Preux (+160) An athletic specimen, Ovince St-Preux (16-5) has looked great since entering the UFC, going 4-0 in the Octagon with three finishes. He is just 31 years old and seems to be improving every fight, going 5-0 over his last five bouts overall and 13-1 over his last 14 fights dating back to 2009, with his only loss in the last five years coming to top-ranked Gegard Mousasi. With a solid wrestling base to go along with some power on the feet and an underrated submission game, St-Preux is quickly emerging as a dark horse at 205lbs. If he can keeps making strides in his game, who knows, the sky may be the limit for the man nicknamed OSP. He has feasted on mid-tier competition so far, but now he takes a step up and faces Ryan Bader at UFC Fight Night 47 in a fight that could take him to the next level. Opening UFC Fight Night 47 Analysis: MMA oddsmaker Nick Kalikas made Bader a -210 favorite (bet $210 to win $100) while St-Preux opened as a +160 underdog (bet $100 to win $160) at Several Bookmakers. This is a very intriguing light heavyweight bout between two of the top 15 fighters in the division. Bader has looked great in his last two wins, absolutely dominating Anthony Perosh and Rafael Cavalcante, while OSP has won four-straight fights in the UFC over Gian Villante, Cody Donovan, Nikita Krylov and Ryan Jimmo. It’s time for OSP to get a step up and Bader, a former TUF winner, certainly qualifies. Both these men are essentially wrestlers with some power in their fists, so it should be a pretty close fight when it goes down this August. In a five-round fight it’s likely someone will get finished, but who will it be? Bader opens as a slight favorite, and it’s deserving as he’s fought the better competition, but OSP is certainly a live dog and if he can win this fight he will become a dark horse contender at 205lbs.
