UFC 217's Ovince Saint Preux simply wanted Ilir Latifi to know he didn't forget callout

NEW YORK – Resurgent UFC light heavyweight Ovince Saint Preux didn’t call out Ilir Latifi, all appearances to the contrary.

“I didn’t pick him; he picked me,” Saint Preux told reporters backstage at UFC 217 after a thunderous knockout of Corey Anderson on the FS1-televised prelims at Madison Square Garden. “He called me out a while back, and I said, ‘Let’s do it.’ When this situation came up, I jumped on it.

“And I’m jumping right back on it. Dec. 30 we can make it happen.”

Saint Preux (22-10 MMA, 10-5 UFC), who topped Anderson (9-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) for his third straight win, hasn’t heard whether the promotion will grant his desired date, which marks the date for UFC 219 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. But, he added, “I’m pushing it.”

With two fights in 42 days, it’s hard to argue he’s pushing the bounds of activity. A December fight would mark his fifth octagon appearance in 2017.

Saint Preux previously traveled to Japan for a FS1-televised headliner at UFC Fight Night 117. He tapped short-notice replacement Yushin Okami with a Von Flue choke, his second consecutive win using the rare submission.

Going from the famed Saitama Super Arena to Madison Square Garden, Saint Preux said things couldn’t get much better. A fight in Vegas with Latifi (13-5 MMA, 6-3 UFC), who in September outpointed Tyson Pedro at UFC 215, would be a start.

But don’t get it mixed up – he’s merely responding to a request.

“He called me out. I’m just letting him know I didn’t forget about him,” Saint Preux said.

For complete coverage of UFC 217, check out the UFC Events section of the site.