Corey Anderson: Ovince Saint Preux replacement was 'destiny' for UFC 217

NEW YORK – Corey Anderson had a feeling the UFC would offer him Ovince Saint Preux as a replacement opponent at UFC 217. So, when it happened, it hardly took him off guard.

Before the matchup with Saint Preux (21-10 MMA, 9-5 UFC) materialized, Anderson (9-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) was originally scheduled to fight Patrick Cummins in a light heavyweight bout at UFC 217, which takes place Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The fight airs on the FS1-televised prelims prior to the pay-per-view main card.

Cummins was forced to withdraw from the event less than three weeks out due to a “mutant staph infection,” and Saint Preux was tapped as the replacement. When Anderson caught wind of Cummins being out of the fight, he looked at the landscape of the division for potential opponents. He said Saint Preux was the natural fit.

“When Pat got hurt I said, ‘It’s either going to be OSP or Ilir Latifi,'” Anderson told MMAjunkie. “I looked to see those two were targeted to fight each other Dec. 30, then the next day, sure enough I get a call. It was destiny. I knew it was going to happen.”

Anderson said he trains to prepare for any style of opponent, so the switch didn’t take him for a loop. In addition to that, he’s already somewhat familiar with Saint Preux. The pair did some training together earlier this year, and although there was limited physicality, Anderson said he has a good feel for what to expect.

“The way I focused this last camp was I don’t want to focus on anything one person does good,” Anderson said. “I’m going to focus on being a complete martial artist so I can fight anybody – not just one person. For this reason exactly, in case I got a new opponent.”

UFC 217 marks Anderson’s return to competition following a knockout loss against Jimi Manuwa in March’s UFC Fight Night 107 headliner. It was a difficult setback for “Overtime,” but he claims the break from the octagon was just what he needed to come back even better.

“I’m just looking to go out there and seize the moment,” Anderson said. “After the last fight I was going to go back to the rating board and develop and be the best Corey Anderson.”

For more on UFC 217, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.