MMA Preview – Shogun Rua vs Ovince Saint Preux 2 at UFC 274
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SHOGUN RUA VS OVINCE SAINT PREUX FACTS
When is UFC 274? Sunday 8th May, 2022 - 01:00 start (UK)
Where is UFC 274? Footprint Center, Phoenix, Arizona (US)
Where can I get tickets for UFC 274? Click here to buy tickets for UFC 274
What channel is UFC 274 on? BT Sport 1
Where can I stream UFC 274? BT Sport subscribers can stream the fight online via the BT Sport website
For viewers in the United States, the event will be shown live on ESPN+ and you can sign up for access as part of a Disney Bundle here!
SHOGUN RUA VS OVINCE SAINT PREUX LOWDOWN
The legend Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua (27-12-1) makes his 23rd UFC walk which pleases many fans as we have not seen him since 2020. With the amount of wars he has taken part in, in the Pride days and his early UFC career, it is probably a good thing. After getting marbleized by Anthony Smith’s (2018) elbow, he turned back the clock with a TKO over Tyson Pedro (2018) to prove there was life in the old dog. He then drew with Paul Craig (2019) and scraped a split decision over his old foe Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (2020) to go 3-0 in their series. He then rematched Craig four months later and surprisingly became the second knockout of the Scotsman’s career.
Ovince Saint Preux (OSP) (25-16) is one of the most inconsistent fighters in the light heavyweight division. He is 13-11 in the UFC which includes a couple losses at heavyweight. The first was a split decision to Ben Rothwell (2020) which came after a vintage Von Flue choke on Michal Oleksiejczuk (2019) and before a blistering knockout over Alonzo Menifield (2020). He is now coming off two knockout losses to Jamahal Hill (2020) and Tanner Boser (2021) which was his second fight up with the big boys.
SHOGUN RUA VS OVINCE SAINT PREUX PREDICTION
Who knows how these warriors will perform on the night. They first met all the way back in 2014 when OSP caught Shogun with a beautiful check left hook just 34 seconds into the fight. It was a majestic counter off the back foot and OSP still has the capability to that.
Shogun will no doubt seek vengeance with a similar poison, hunting the knockout. OSP could stifle the Brazilian with his grappling leveraging his weight and power advantage in the clinch and can submit him on the ground. However, he has not fought smart in a long time, and we expect him to trade.
If OSP is on, he can knock Shogun out or cruise the fight with his grappling, but it seems a lacklustre performance is always around the corner and if he just stands in front of Shogun and is hesitant to pull the trigger, he will get knocked out.
We feel, OSP will do enough but how he can finish the fight almost depends on what mood he is in.
Prediction: Ovince Saint Preux via KO/TKO - CLICK HERE FOR PARIMATCH'S WELCOME OFFER (BET £5, GET £30 IN BONUSES!)
Value Bet: Shogun via KO/TKO
