UFC 274 features an interesting rematch at light heavyweight as Shogun Rua takes on Ovince Saint Preux. The first fight was a very strange affair as Rua slipped and was knocked out against the fence. The two have had very strange careers since then and both men are in desperate need of a win at UFC 274. Saint Preux is coming off of two losses in a row to Jamahal Hill and Tanner Boser, a loss here could put his UFC career in jeopardy. Rua is in a bit of a different spot as he has one loss to Paul Craig in his last fight, before, he held wins over Tyson Pedro, and Antonio Nogueira, with a draw against Paul Craig rounding things up. The fight should not have any slipping this time and things should be interesting between the two.
Here are the UFC odds, featuring our Rua-Saint Preux prediction, courtesy of FanDuel.
UFC Odds: Rua-Saint Preux Odds
Shogun Rua (+205)
Ovince Saint Preux (-260)
Over 2.5 rounds (+134)
Under 2.5 rounds (-172)
How Shogun Rua Wins The Fight At UFC 274
Shogun Rua may be getting up there in age but he still has plenty of weapons. The Brazilian is the better striker technically than Ovince Saint Preux and should land some big shots. The question is if he can take the Haitian fighter's shots and keep landing strikes of his own. Both men are hittable and their durability has been in question with their past couple of fights. Landing big shots early will be key for the Brazilian to get the win and force Saint Preux to respect him. Going the distance is not really an option considering the power Saint Preux brings and the questionable durability shown by the Brazilian in his past couple of fights. The key to victory is to pressure early, land the leg kicks, and score the knockout in the first round. The Brazilian wins by TKO in the first round.
How Ovince Saint Preux Wins The Fight At UFC 274
Ovince Saint Preux has been on a rough run lately but this is a winnable fight for him. Shogun Rua has shown signs of age in his past couple of performances and Saint Preux has the right finishing instincts to get things done. He fights from the southpaw stance and packs big power with both his kicks and punches. Both men prefer offense as their defense and big strikes are going to land. Saint Preux got things done quickly last time because of a slip, the chances of a slip are slim but the results should be similar to last time. The southpaw has big power and it should be too much for Rua to take in the first round. OSP finds the knockout in the first round.
Final Rua-Saint Preux Prediction & Pick
As stated before, both men like to strike, and both absorb a lot of shots. The first round is going to be where the fight is decided and whoever lands the bigger shots will decide the fight. The durability of both men is in question but Shogun Rua appears to have the most trouble. The analysis is simple, OSP has a lot of power, and Rua has had trouble taking damage. The pick is for Ovince Saint Preux to land big shots and find the knockout just like in the first fight.
Final Rua-Saint Preux Pick: Ovince Saint Preux wins by knockout in the first round.
Follow Us
Subscribe