Ovince St. Preux vs. Shamil Gamzatov Rescheduled for Aug. 22 UFC Event

Back at it on August 22. This time I don’t get to eat all the goodies. Back down to my original weight class. #ufc pic.twitter.com/w9G1DP2KwQ

— Ovince Saint Preux (@003_OSP) July 2, 2020

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The trip up to heavyweight was short-lived for former Ultimate Fighting Championship title challenger Ovince St. Preux.

St. Preux (24-14) tweeted on Thursday to announce that he will be returning to the light heavyweight division in August, where he will take on Shamil Gamzatov (14-0). The two will throw down at the UFC Fight Night event on Aug. 22 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. MMA Fighting was the first outlet to report this pairing.

In his tweet, St. Preux said that he will not “get to eat all the goodies” while proclaiming that he will be going “back down to my original weight class.” St. Preux also included a screenshot of his signed bout agreement, which he signed June 17, while also confirming his opponent of Gamzatov on Aug. 22. The two men were originally scheduled to square off in April, but the coronavirus pandemic hampered those plans. From there, St. Preux moved up to heavyweight for one bout.

“OSP” was rebuffed in his first trip to the heavyweight division in May, when Ben Rothwell took a spirited split verdict to spoil his move up in weight. The move one of opportunity and not a new career path, St. Preux has presided in the light heavyweight division for the remainder of his time in the Octagon. His last win at 205 pounds came over Michal Oleksiejczuk in September 2019, when “OSP” renamed the Von Flue choke to Von Preux by submitting Oleksiejczuk with his fourth choke of this type in the UFC.

Gamzatov’s promotional debut was a success in November, when he captured a split decision over Klidson Abreu in Russia. Unbeaten as a professional across 14 bouts, the Dagestani fighter has competed from middleweight up to heavyweight, taking a pair of decisions in the Professional Fighters League in 2018 prior to his UFC signing.

The Aug. 22 card will be held at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, and there is not a headliner currently set. Key matchups on the event including a middleweight tilt pitting three-time title challenger Yoel Romero against powerful striker Uriah Hall. Also, a pivotal strawweight affair takes place between Michelle Waterson and Angela Hill.