UFC Fight Night 47 Preview
The UFC returns after an unexpected hiatus when UFC 172 was cancelled due to injuries to the main card. The off time was not expected but it did provide a little time in between fights after a rabid pace set by the promotion. For the last few months the UFC has been holding four events throughout one month and for some it has become a bit too much and has cause fatigue along with the depletion of the talent pool while fighters continue to get injured. The time off has given a bit of a break to fans that may have been experiencing some overload as the UFC resets and begins another, albeit shorter, stretch of plenty of fight with three fights in the next two weeks. The first of which will be in Bangor, Maine as the veteran Ryan Bader takes on a fast rising Ovince St. Preux. The matchup will be one that could be a passing of the torch in a way with the up and comer trying to continue his climb up the division against a veteran in the division. Bader has been in the UFC since 2008 and has a total of 14 fights in the promotion. He is a veteran of the light heavyweight division and yet he has not been able to make much progress in the division. After a promising time on The Ultimate Fighter when he won season 8 and rattled off another 4 wins on his way to the top of the division. Then it started to go bad as Bader began a period where he could not seem to find his ability to begin another streak. Now on a two fight win streak Bader is hoping to continue his way to another title run but in his way is one of the more exciting up and coming fighters in the UFC. St. Preux only joined the UFC in 2013 but has taken the division by storm. He has yet to lose in the UFC and has finished three of his four fights while rising up quickly. His last fight against Ryan Jimmo was a step up in competition and now he takes another step against Bader. The two fighters are on different ends of their career with Bader trying to extend his life in the UFC while St. Preux is trying to prove that he belongs in the top of the division looking for a chance to fight some of the top talent for a title shot. The fight pits two similar fighters against each other as two wrestlers face off with the ability to stand and trade with some tough strikers. Bader is a classic wrestler from Arizona State and a two-time Division I All-American. Like many of the wrestlers who converted to MMA he has the ability to take down fighters in order to punish them with big shots. That translates to his stand-up game as well with plenty of power in his hands to knockout opponents if need be. Meanwhile St. Preux is a former football player who began training at the time when MMA training was all around. As a result St. Preux received training in every aspect of the sport allowing him to be a very well-balanced fighter that has the ability to fight anywhere. He has been very comfortable on the ground where he has finished his last two fights. Now these two balanced fighters will face-off looking to take a win and prove that they belong among the best in the division. Although both are good and well-balanced it will be the fighter on the rise who only seems to be getting better that will take the win. St. Preux will earn the win with a third round KO pushing Bader back once again in the race for a title shot and moving St Preux forward.
Before the two light heavyweights face-off two struggling lightweights will look to get back on track in the co-main event. Ross Pearson and Gray Maynard have had plenty of success in the UFC but they have not seen that success recently. Maynard is only three years removed from being the top contender in the division. That position saw him lose close fights to Frankie Edgar and lose his shot at the title. Since then he has not had the best run winning his next fight and then dropping his last two fights to TJ Grant and Nate Diaz. Maynard was once one of the top fighters in the division but now is looking to recapture the magic he once had. Meanwhile Ross Pearson never reached the top of the division but has looked like a top prospect multiple times in his career. Coming out of The Ultimate Fighter 9 after winning the show Pearson looked to be a potential title contender. He has yet to be able to string together enough wins to make his way up to the top of the division. After a no contest due to a foul against Melvin Guillard Pearson dropped his next fight to Diego Sanchez. Now both fighters will square off trying to get back to winning. It is a matchup of two strikers who do things differently. Pearson is a ground and pound fighter who prefers to do his damage on the ground while Maynard likes to stay standing and trade. Both are well-balanced and are comfortable in any aspect of fighting as they try to get back in the win column in the co-main event.
Fight Card:
Main Event:
Ryan “Darth” Bader vs. Ovince “OSP” St. Preux
Main Card:
Gray “The Bully” Maynard vs. Ross “The Real Deal” Pearson
Brad Tavares vs. Tim “The Barbarian” Boetsch
Seth “Polish Pistola” Baczynski vs. Alan “Brahma” Jouban
Shawn “The Savage” Jordan vs. Jack “The Outlaw” May
Thiago Tavares vs. Robbie “Problems” Peralta
Undercard:
Zach “Fun Size” Makovsky vs. Jussier “Formiga” Da Silva
Sara McMann vs. Lauren Murphy
“Smilin” Sam Alvey vs. Tom “Kong” Watson
Frankie Saenz vs. Nolan Ticman
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