Call it unorthodox, call it intriguing but whatever you do don’t call Ovince Saint Preux actions Saturday night striking. How someone with so much athletic ability can be so unpolished in traditional punches and kicks is an enigma. We all know he punches and kicks come with power but when facing better opposition what may look like subtle flaws to one viewer can look like a complete train wreck to the experienced eye. Against competition like Ryan Bader that leaves no room for success.
Before the fight there were rumblings that maybe OSP needs to leave Tennessee and head to more MMA friendly confines but no matter where he goes it’s time to sure up the striking. It was a very good card Saturday filled with finishes but the highly anticipated match between Bader and OSP did not live up the bill mainly due to Saint Preux.
In the headlining match, the chin of Bader was on display but so was his dominating wrestling. At any point in the fight he could take down OSP and did that most of the evening. There was literally no defense from OSP who you could tell was gassed early and did not look ready to go the full five rounds. If you want to a shot at the title you should be ready to go five rounds there no debating that. Having the five round main event on these non-PPV cards is a great idea for the UFC because as we are finding out from time to time it helps weed out the division. You know who also helps? Ryan Bader.
While he may not be ready to crack the top five, if you want to be in the discussion the road may just lead through him. More evidence of this is the new rumors that next up in line to face Bader will be Anthony “Rumble” Johnson. Though the Mauler is not far removed from the Rumble scenario as well. That does make this writer curious to ask this, “where is James Manuwa?”
After losing to the Mauler he still may be one of the most dangerous guys in the division and would be a good match up for the next OSP bout. But if he doesn’t sure up his striking against guys like him he won’t have to worry about being out wrestled; just knocked out.
The rest of the main card saw devastating finishes as Ross Pearson took care of Gray Maynard even though it looked as if Gray could prevail early on. Newcomer pretty boy Alan Jouban looked great in his scrap with the gritty Seth Baczynski which could have been FOTN. Shawn Jordan took a second to get going but ultimately was able to get a finish on the taller and rangy Jack May who might have won the decision if not for the TKO in the last round. Thiago Tavares looked great in his return against a Robbie Peralta who looked as if he was stuck in concrete.
The best performance of the night went to hometown favorite the big brute known as Tim Boetsch. We knew this could be a dangerous match for Brad Tavares and it looked as if he would cruise himself back into the winning column. Those plans were immediately put on hold when Tim touched the chin of Tavares twice and even though it was in the later round, power is power. This writer thought we would see a fiercer Boetsch, looking to finish Tavares and we did early in the rounds.
After the beginning of the second round it looked as if Brad knew he was ahead and released the gas on the pedal slightly. You can never do that against guys with one hit knockout power. Time and time again so many fighters fail to realize this, why guys like Boetsch and Dan Henderson have made careers off it. It stinks to see Brad Tavares lose two straight after his five match win streak but what a great win for Tim Boetsch similar to Ryan Bader telling these guys he’s still here.
A big kudos to Sara McMann for getting back in the win column after a tough decision against Lauren Murphy. Lauren will do fine in the division as she has the tools to do some damage with her great footwork and head movement. Sara needs to trust her striking more. We all know she can outwrestle any woman in the division but sometimes her takedowns put her in harm’s way. She has power and good footwork with her striking; this writer just wishes she would trust it a tad bit more.
It was a great night of fights for UFC Fight Night 47. Up next we have a jam packed weekend filled with a Fight Pass card in the morning followed by another FOX Sports 1 card. Look for those recaps and more right here on VAVEL USA!