Strikeforce Transplants Ovince St. Preux, Gian Villante Booked for UFC 159

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A light heavyweight showdown between two former Strikeforce talents has been booked for UFC 159, as Ovince St. Preux and Gian Villante will lock horns at the April 27 event.

Promotion officials recently confirmed the pairing after an initial report from Newsday. UFC 159 takes place at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., and is headlined by a light heavyweight title confrontation pitting reigning king Jon Jones against former two-time middleweight title challenger Chael Sonnen. The evening’s main draw airs live on pay-per-view, while the undercard is broadcast immediately prior on FX and Facebook.

St. Preux, 29, has won nine of his last 10 fights, with his only loss in that span coming to former Strikeforce and Dream champion Gegard Mousasi in December 2011. “OSP” returned to the cage this past August, earning a third-round knockout over T.J. Cook at “Rousey vs. Kaufman.”

Villante, meanwhile, has won three straight fights after going 0-2 to begin his Strikeforce career. The former Ring of Combat champion closed out 2011 with a unanimous decision victory over Keith Berry before posting back-to-back wins last year over Trevor Smith and Derrick Mehmen.