An interesting matchup coming up this weekend on the UFC fight schedule is this light heavyweight matchup between battle-tested veteran Ovince Saint Preux and the always-dangerous Kennedy Nzechukwu.
Preux vs. Nzechukwu Picks
- Pick: Nzechukwu by TKO, KO or DQ (-250).
Continue reading for the official Saint Preux vs Nzechukwu prediction and our latest scores and odds analysis before placing any UFC bets on this weekend’s card.
Ovince Saint Preux vs Kennedy Nzechukwu Information
Ovince Saint Preux vs Kennedy Nzechukwu
Location of the game: UFC APEX, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Date & Time: March 16, 2024. 7 PM ET main card start
How to Watch: ESPN+
Last Fight Record
Saint Preux is coming off a brutal 0:49 KO loss to Philipe Lins over a year ago at UFC Fight Night 219 in February 2023.
Nzechukwu is also coming off a first-round KO loss to the crafty Dustin Jacoby in August.
Ovince Saint Preux vs Kennedy Nzechukwu Betting Analysis
Ovince Saint Preux
Saint Preux is an American mixed martial artist with a professional MMA record of 26-17, including 12 TKO/KO wins and 8 submissions. He has earned himself 8 post-fight bonuses in the UFC and has won by the rare Von Flue choke four times.
Saint Preux stands at 6’3” with a southpaw stance and an 80” reach. In the octagon, he averages 2.71 significant strikes landed and 3.14 absorbed per minute. He also averages 1.15 takedowns per 15 minutes and has a modest 66% takedown defense.
Kennedy Nzechukwu
Nzechukwu is a Nigerian mixed martial artist with a professional record of 12-4, including 8 TKO/KO wins and 1 submission. He has earned three post-fight bonuses in the UFC with 8 out of his 10 UFC bouts ending inside.
Nzechukwu stands as a towering 6’5” southpaw with an 83” reach.In the octagon, he averages 4.86 significant strikes landed and 4.27 significant strikes absorbed per minute. He also holds a solid 80% takedown defense.
Updates
Neither the UFC nor ESPN has reported any injuries.
Ovince Saint Preux vs Kennedy Nzechukwu Betting Preview
This Saint Preux vs Nzechukwu prediction is an interesting one to make this weekend on the UFC schedule because even though there seems to be a clear pick, there are very specific outcomes that could happen the other way around.
Starting with the available UFC odds, we can see that Nzechukwu is coming in as the massive -700 betting favorite over the +500 veteran. The odds heavily favor this fight to end inside the distance at -400 as well.
Stylistically, these are two massive athletes who have the power to knock each other out. This is close to a heavyweight style of MMA fight, but the shots aren’t quite as devastating.
Nzechukwu has some serious power and is always chasing a finish–he will even lock up a guillotine if Saint Preux doesn’t protect his neck while wrestling. Nzechukwu is easily hit by a lot of people and he gets rocked, but his chin is very good in the sense that he’s able to survive being hurt and recover quickly.
When betting on these upcoming UFC fights, you need to be honest with yourself. Saint Preux is not even close to what he was in his prime. He’s 40 years old and hasn’t looked like he wanted to be in there in years. That’s the biggest concern this weekend.
Ovince Saint Preux vs Kennedy Nzechukwu Betting Prediction
Even though Nzechukwu gets clipped and sometimes seems unaware that he’s in trouble, the Saint Preux vs Nzechukwu prediction is clearly that Nzechukwu will get his hand raised.
This will be a TKO/KO win by Nzechukwu as well most likely. He has some legit power and Saint Preux doesn’t have the chin or the quickness anymore to avoid that outcome over three rounds.
- Pick: Nzechukwu by TKO, KO or DQ (-250).
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