One of the UFC’s longest-tenured fighters has his next assignment.
Ovince Saint Preux returns for his 27th promotional appearance when he battles Fortis MMA’s Kennedy Nzechuwku. The light heavyweight bout takes place March 16 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Two people with knowledge of the matchup recently informed MMA Junkie of the booking but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.
Nzechukwu (12-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC) aims to bounce back from an 82-second TKO loss against Dustin Jacoby in August. Prior to that defeat, Nzechukwu was on the best roll of his UFC tenure with three straight finish victories over Karl Roberson, Ion Cutelaba, and Devin Clark.
Saint Preux (26-17 MMA, 14-12 UFC) has been a staple of the promotion’s light heavyweight division since he joined the roster in April 2013 following the Strikeforce merger. Saint Preux most recently competed in February 2023 when he was TKOed by Philipe Lins in 49 seconds. Saint Preux was then suspended six months by USADA for a tainted supplement.
With the addition the UFC Fight Night lineup for March 16 includes:
- Tai Tuivasa vs. Marcin Tybura
- Thiago Moises vs. Brad Riddell
- Jafel Filho vs. Ode Osbourne
- Isaac Dulgarian vs. Christian Rodriguez
- Bryan Battle vs. Ange Loosa
- Jaqueline Amorim vs. Cory McKenna
- Kennedy Nzechukwu vs. Ovince Saint Preux
