The UFC has finalized a fun matchup in the light heavyweight division. MMA Junkie was the first to report yesterday afternoon that “The Hulk” Ion Cutelaba (17-9-1) will be taking on former interim title challenger Ovince St. Preux (26-17).
The bout will take place at UFC Nashville on August 5th. OSP is looking to bounce back after a very rough start to his 2023. Back in February, OSP took on Phillipe Lins and was knocked out in 49 seconds. Overall, OSP is just 1-3 in his last four fights.
The lone win was a split decision win over former champion Shogun Rua. Prior to the win against Rua, OSP was stopped by both Tanner Boser and current champion Jamahal Hill. At 40-years-old, there’s not a ton of tread left on the tires for OSP. Win or lose, UFC Nashville could be it for him.
UFC Nashville
Ion Cutelaba had a lot of hype behind him when he joined the UFC at 11-1. However, it’s been a very mixed bag of results for him thus far. He’s won and he’s lost, but he’s only really struggled against top level competition. That said, he recently found himself on a three-fight losing streak.
The last time we saw “The Hulk” it was back at UFC Kansas City in April. Cutelaba entered the bout having gone just 1-5-1 in his previous seven fights. He needed a win in the worst way and he was meeting Tanner Boser in Boser’s first fight at light heavyweight.
Cutelaba delivered in a big way knocking out Boser just two minutes into the first round. Now, he takes on the former title challenger in OSP. A win in August would be his second in a row and would go a long ways as he attempts to move back up into the rankings conversation.