[autotag]Ovince Saint Preux [/autotag]has been here before.
Entering UFC on ESPN 19, the longtime light heavyweight contender isn’t bothered he’s fighting another relative newcomer – and the odds for the fight don’t faze him.
Across major online sportsbooks, Saint Preux (25-14 MMA, 13-9 UFC) sits around +140 on average, according to BestFightOdds. The underdog status means nothing to Saint Preux, who said he doesn’t take it personally.
“No, it’s just they don’t know any better,” Saint Preux said Thursday during virtual media day. “A lot of times people look at (and) kind of relate it to boxing. They’ll be like, ‘This person is going to lose because this person is an undefeated boxer or whatnot.’ In mixed martial arts, it’s completely different.
“If you stay in this game long enough, you’re not going to be undefeated. It’s point blank. It’s really hard to be undefeated because, you know, that day is going to come when you catch an ‘L.’ Even in this 205-pound division right now, the talent level if you’re just coming in and you want to jump right on top and start fighting the top guys in the division, it’s not going to take long for you to get that first ‘L.'”
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Saint Preux made his promotional debut in April 2013 after a two-year stint in Strikeforce. His UFC on ESPN 19 opponent, Jamahal Hill (8-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC), made his first UFC walk in January 2020.
While he understands an up-and-comer’s willingness to fight the best right away, Saint Preux thinks experienced fighters (himself, in particular) are terrible matchups for fighters trying to quickly carve out their path.
“The 205 division, for an up-and-coming guy, I think would be one of the worst guys to actually go in (there) with,” Saint Preux said. “But it is what it is. Some guys feel like they have it. Some guys want to jump into the top (fights), but it’s different. This game is different. You’ve got guys who have been around for a while like (me). You’ve got experience-level behind it. It’s not only that, but it just experiences being in the cage with top-level guys and whatnot.
“These guys coming up, yes, I mean, anything can happen within a fight. But the circumstances between that fight with what I’ve got going on, and I’ve been through fighting-wise and whatnot, is going to make it a lot more difficult for him.”
UFC on ESPN 19 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card airs on ESPN2 and streams on ESPN+.
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