The Octagon will touch down in Tennessee for the fourth time on Saturday, August 8 with a battle of top-10 light heavyweights when fifth-ranked Glover Teixeira collides with former University of Tennessee football player, No. 6 Ovince Saint Preux. UFC Fight Night: Teixeira vs. Saint Preux marks the promotion’s third trip to Nashville and first since January 2012.
With new champion Daniel Cormier sitting atop the UFC light heavyweight division, the stakes are high and both Teixeira (22-4, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) and Saint Preux (18-6, fighting out of Knoxville, Tenn.) are within striking distance of a shot at Cormier’s world title. Having trained under Hall of Famer Chuck Liddell, Teixeira is a double threat with striking and a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. The dynamic style and punching power of the ever improving Saint Preux makes him a threat wherever the fight goes.
In addition, two of the lightweight division’s brightest young stars will clash in their effort to make a name for themselves in one of the most talent-rich weight classes. Fifth-ranked Michael Johnson (17-8, fighting out of Boca Raton, Fla.) looks for his fifth-straight win when he meets submission ace Beneil Dariush (11-1, fighting out of Yorba Linda, Calif.). The No. 14 lightweight is a world champion jiu-jitsu player and will look to counter Johnson’s devastating striking with his feared ground game.
The event will also feature a showdown between two of the top female fighters in the world when No. 4 Sara McMann (8-2, fighting out of Gaffney, S.C.) and No. 8 Amanda Nunes (10-4, fighting out of Miami, Fla.) meet. McMann is an Olympic silver medalist in wrestling, while Nunes is a highly decorated jiu-jitsu black belt who has finished all 10 of her professional victories, eight in the first round.
Additional bouts include:
· Knoxville native and undefeated lightweight Scott Holtzman (7-0, fighting out of Knoxville, Tenn.) makes his UFC debut against Greece’s Anthony Christodoulou (12-5, fighting out of Athens, Greece).
· Bantamweight submission specialist Marlon Vera (6-2-1, fighting out of Albuquerque, N.M.) meets Roman Salazar (9-3, fighting out of Scottsdale, Ariz.), who will be making his fourth appearance under the UFC banner.
· Knockout artist Jared Cannonier (7-1, fighting out of Glendale, Ariz.), who has finished six of his seven victories, will meet UFC light heavyweight newcomer Jonathan Wilson (6-0, fighting out of San Bernardino, Calif.).
· Former Oklahoma State University NCAA Div. 1 wrestler Jared Rosholt (12-2, fighting out of Arlington, Texas) vs. hard hitting heavyweight Timothy Johnson (9-1, fighting out of Fargo, N.D.) who is two months removed from a first-round KO victory in his UFC debut.
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