Making his heavyweight debut, Ovince Saint Preux put on a good showing at UFC Fight Night 171 on Wednesday night. Ultimately, he came up short, falling to Ben Rothwell via split decision (29-28 x 2, 28-29).
It was all Rothwell from the start as he stalked Saint Preux, catching him with multiple right hands in the opening minutes. Saint Preux did attempt to counter, but a leg kick that got caught resulted in him being taken down. Rothwell unsuccessfully tried to secure the guillotine choke but the round was his regardless.
Saint Preux started to come to life a bit in the second, staying busy with a mix of kicks and punches. Little damage was actually done for most of the round, but with 30 seconds left to go, Saint Preux landed a strong punch that resulted in a flash knockdown. It was a strong finish for Saint Preux and one that led to a third round up for grabs.
Saint Preux's momentum didn't carry into the final frame immediately. Both fighters had their moments and while Saint Preux seemed to land the harder shots of the two, Rothwell outworked him enough to secure the win.
With the win, Rothwell moves to 38-12, while Saint Preux falls to 24-14. Prior to the fight, Saint Preux said the move up to heavyweight would not be permanent — that he's willing to bounce between divisions — so it will be interesting to see what's next for him.