Ovince Saint Preux on rematch with 'Shogun' Rua: A short-term loss for short-term gain

Fighting halfway around the world is easier than fighting on home soil, said no fighter ever.

UFC light heavyweight Ovince Saint Preux is looking at a long flight, jet lag, food challenges, expensive add-ons for coaches, and potential tax issues – all to take a fight with a guy he trounced three years ago.

Why do it?

“It’s a job, man,” Saint Preux (20-10 MMA, 8-5 UFC), who next faces Mauricio Rua (25-10 MMA, 9-8 UFC) at UFC Fight Night 117 in Japan, told MMAjunkie Radio. “A lot of times during a job, you have to do certain things you don’t want to.”

It’s not the first time Saint Preux has had to go on the road to prove himself. The 34-year-old flew all the way to the Brazilian city of Uberlandia to make Rua look good in a headliner at UFC Fight Night 56 in 2014. But he flipped the script and knocked the ex-champ to the canvas in 34 seconds for his biggest career win to date.

Saint Preux’s previous fight took place in his backyard of Nashville. He quickly tapped Marcos Rogerio de Lima for a triumphant win. You’d think he’d earned a trip to Las Vegas, but no.

Still, justifying a trip to the event’s host at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, where many fans consider Rua an adopted son for his work in the now-defunct PRIDE, is easier this time around for Saint Preux. He’s overcome before, and he can do it again. Plus, there’s perks to the FXX-televised headliner.

“The fan base in Japan is ridiculous,” he said. “So I’m creating a fanbase in Japan. It’s like a short-term loss for a short-term gain.”

Rua’s loss to Saint Preux capped off a 1-4 skid that had many wondering whether the Brazilian should retire. He beat back those concerns with three straight wins, including a triumphant third-round TKO of Gian Villante at UFC Fight Night 106.

Saint Preux had his own doubts after he snapped a three-fight skid by submitting de Lima. So he can understand the revenge tour play.

“Shoot, if I would have lost like that, I probably would want to get back at the guy who did it to me too,” he said. “So we definitely accepted it.”

The problem, according to Saint Preux, is that Rua won’t encounter the same fighter the second time around.

“My style changes pretty much every fight,” he said. “The way I’ve been feeling lately, I’ve been feeling pretty ridiculous. I wouldn’t want to face me.”

Saint Preux would like to start his own revenge tour one day. He still burns from a decision loss to Jon Jones in an interim lightweight title fight, and a knockout loss to Jimi Manuwa and split-call setback to then-unknown Volkan Oezdemir didn’t help.

In the end, though, Saint Preux’s mentality is to keep moving forward, even if he’s moving backward in the near term. The goal, he said, is to fight again before the end of his year and be in title contention.

If the job requires he step into another uncomfortable situation to get there, so be it.

For more on UFC Fight Night 117, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.

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