The co-main event of May 13’s UFC Fight Night between Ben Rothwell and Ovince Saint Preux was a steady back-and-forth of striking that showcased both fighters’ skills on their feet.
Saint Preux began the fight with a few kicks as Rothwell worked to drive him to the side of the cage, landing a few significant strikes against Saint Preux in the process. Saint Preux attempted a high kick, but Rothwell caught the leg and forced him to his knees. Rothwell tried to work his arm in for a choke and hit his opponent with a couple of strikes for good measure, but Saint Preux did a good job of creating distance between his throat and Rothwell’s arms. The referee then called for more action, which Rothwell responded to by unleashing a brief flurry of strikes against Saint Preux. Saint Preux managed to get away with about twenty seconds left in the round.
The second round began with Saint Preux again coming in aggressively with high and push kicks, but Rockwell countered with a few heavy uppercuts, pushing his opponent against the cage for a brief time before Saint Preux was able to escape. The fighters had a back-and-forth exchange against the cage, with Saint Preux landing a solid uppercut and Rothwell landing a couple of knees. Rothwell then changed levels and looked like he might try to bring Saint Preux to the ground, but quickly gave up the endeavor in favor of dishing out more knees. With about a minute left, the fighters broke apart and went moved to the center of the Octagon. A solid hook from Saint Preux knocked Rothwell down, but he was able to recover, and the fight moved to the third and final round.
Saint Preux went into the third round aggressively, throwing a couple of hooks that were answered with a strong leg kick from Rothwell. Rothwell again pushed Saint Preux to the cage and hit him with a few knee strikes. Saint Preux attempted to move the fight to the center again, but Rothwell was relentless in getting his opponent’s back against the cage. The athletes had an aggressive back-and-forth exchange before separating, giving both fighters opportunities to throw some high-momentum strikes, which Rothwell in particular capitalized on. As the fight drew to a close, Rothwell pushed Saint Preux against the cage before moving back into the center. The bell rang in the middle of a fast-paced striking exchange between both fighters.
The judges gave Rothwell the victory by split decision.
