Bellator fighter predicts Ovince Saint Preux is next in line to be released by the UFC
After Yoel Romero's surprising departure from UFC, Dana White said that as many as 60 fighters might be cut off from the company's roster by the end of this year. But he did not mention any names.
Bellator fighter and MMA analyst Josh Thomson said on his Weighing In podcast with John McCarthy that he believes Ovince Saint Preux will be one of them.
Josh Thomson on why Ovince Saint Preux could be released from UFC
Ovince Saint Preux failed to make weight ahead of his Light Heavyweight bout against Jamahal Hill at UFC Vegas 16. He hit the scales at 207.5 pounds, 1.5 pounds over the non-title limit for the division.
The bout was still on at catchweight, with Ovince Saint Preux fined 20 percent of his fight purse. However, he failed to win the bout as well, getting knocked out in the second round by Jamahal Hill.
This was Ovince Saint Preux's 23rd fight in UFC and it was the first time he had missed weight. But Josh Thomson still thinks that 'OSP' is done for and he might very well be among the 60 fighters to be released by UFC by the end of 2020.
"He did not show up. He didn't throw many punches. He was having success with that lead leg kick and he just got away from it. Dude, when you're having that much success, get after it. And he just didn't. He's done. I think he's done... I think he doesn't have the fire anymore. I think not only does he not have the fire, but as he's getting older, he has slowed down a lot. There's not a lot of speed there. The reactions are not there anymore. The athleticism is not what it used to be."
Dana White on releasing fighters
At the press conference following UFC Vegas 16, Dana White said that they were going through the list of the "inflated" roster at the moment, and were going to make some tough decisions before 2020 ends.
"We're gonna go through some serious cuts here at the end of the year," White said. "Probably gonna have 60 cuts coming up before the first of the year... Our roster is very inflated right now. We're gonna have some big cuts coming before the end of the year. You're gonna see a lot of names going here in the next couple of weeks."
Fans will have to wait for the official announcement of the releases to know if Ovince Saint Preux is among the names or not.