This could be a bit ugly, but at least one of these light
heavyweight veterans will walk out with some momentum. St. Preux
has been a divisional stalwart for well over a decade at this
point, even if things never quite clicked for “OSP” at a
championship level. St. Preux rose through the ranks in Strikeforce
as a prospect with a mountain of potential. A former University of
Tennessee linebacker, St. Preux stood out as an athlete even in a
division full of athletes. However, he never quite developed a
consistent approach, instead accumulating what was essentially a
grab bag of unorthodox tricks that managed to work thanks to St.
Preux’s physical gifts, including a sudden turn as a master of the
Von Flue choke of all things. St. Preux’s career had some high
highs, but things are clearly on the downswing now that he is
nearing 40 years old. He is still powerful and durable, but his
offensive output has become anemic in his last few fights, even if
he was still able to outwork Mauricio Rua
for a tepid decision win in 2022. Perhaps things will look a bit
better against Lins, who is looking to put together the first
winning streak of his UFC career. Brazil’s “Monstro” had an
unmemorable stint as a light heavyweight in Bellator MMA before
landing in the Professional Fighters League as a heavyweight.
There, he was able to run through all comers, win a million dollars
via the company’s tournament and parlay that success into a UFC
contract. Still, Lins’ first few trips to the Octagon were rough.
He looked slow against Andrei
Arlovski and Tanner
Boser, getting knocked out by the latter, and then suffered a
cascade of injuries that kept him out of action for two years.
Lins’ intent to return at light heavyweight seemed like a poor
idea—it figured to make him look even slower against faster
competition—but he looked shockingly impressive in a win over
Marcin
Prachnio, finding some confidence as a bully while also
appearing quicker and more athletic. It was enough of a sudden
shift that it is still a bit hard to trust, but remains enough to
give Lins the nod here. There is the chance that St. Preux is still
accurate enough with one of his few strikes to put the American Top
Team rep’s lights out, but it is much easier to bank on Lins’
aggression and activity to win a messy fight. The pick is Lins via
decision.
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