10 Lessons Learned From UFC Fight Night: Bader vs. St. Preux

1. Ovince St. Preux Couldn't Get Past The Gatekeeper

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Y-05qHwZxw The first round of Bader vs. St. Preux was highlighted by the strong wrestling of Bader, who managed to take the BJJ specialist St. Preux down twice, though not without some difficulty. We also saw some improved footwork from "Darth" - the light heavyweight division's ultimate gatekeeper. St. Preux, meanwhile, went with his traditional sloppy striking, which might work in the lower levels of the division, but not against top 10 guys. Sloppy striking or not, St. Preux came out with a vicious leg kick to start the second round, and took the frame to even things up to one round a piece. The third round, however, was once again all Bader - mainly via takedowns and strong wrestling. Here's the key - by round four, Ovince St. Preux had his hands low, his mouth open, and was looking extremely tired - not something you want to see from a potential title challenger. Bader landed his eighth takedown of the fight midway through the fourth, and you had to wonder if St. Preux was already done at that point, as he turtled while Bader took his back. By the time Bader scored his ninth takedown, later in the same round, he'd outstruck St. Preux on the ground with over forty strikes to three. You knew when St. Preux's coach yelled at him prior to the fifth round to break Bader's arm that things were desperate for the rising prospect, and as it turned out, the submission specialist just didn't have what was required to get past the ultimate gatekeeper. While still a strong fighter, St. Preux goes back to the drawing board, having lost this fight via decision, and Bader finds himself on a three fight win streak thanks to the unanimous decision win. There was no question as to who was the better fighter at UFC Fight Night 47 - it was Bader picking up the clean win. It will be interesting to see who he is paired up with next.