UFC-Nashville's Ovince Saint Preux discusses difference between top-15 and top-5 training

NASHVILLE – If you lose three straight fights in the UFC, you’re likely looking at a pink slip. At the very least, you’re likely to find yourself buried on a preliminary card.

But not in the case of Ovince Saint Preux. Not only does the former University of Tennessee football player have a spot on today’s “UFC Fight Night 108: Swanson vs. Lobov” main card, which airs on FS1 (10 p.m. ET), he remains a top-10 fighter in the light-heavyweight division.

How does a once-hot contender still maintain relevance in MMA’s most prominent organization, despite his recent setbacks? It’s one of the few perks of fighting top-level opponents every time out.

After all, not all losing skids are created equal. Saint Preux (19-10 MMA, 7-5 UFC), who’s No. 10 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA light-heavyweight rankings, suffered losses to No. 1-ranked Jon Jones and No. 7 Jimi Manuwa. The 2004 UT grad, who was a reserve at both defensive end and linebacker during his football days, then suffered a narrow and controversial split-decision defeat to Volkan Oezdemir in February. However, nearly every major media outlet dissented with the cageside judges and scored the February fight for Saint Preux, via MMADecisions.com.

It was a frustrating loss to an unranked opponent, but Saint Preux said there are no easy fights on MMA’s biggest stage.

“If you think about it, the UFC has the elite (fighters) of every division,” the 34-year-old told MMAjunkie. “Everybody they bring in isn’t going to be a slouch.”

Plus, Saint Preux admitted, he got a little complacent. He won seven of his first nine UFC fights, from 2013-2016, while defeating the likes of ex-UFC champ Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and former Strikeforce titleholder Rafael Cavalcante.

“I tell a lot of people when you get into the top 15, you can still train somewhat mediocre and get away with a lot of stuff,” he said. “But when you get into the top 5, that training style can’t be mediocre. It has to be a lifestyle, and I think that’s the biggest thing I realized.”

It took his current three-fight skid for it to really sink in. Now, with a near “perfect” fight camp behind him, “OSP” expects to get back in the win column when he faces fellow 205-pounder Marcos Rogerio de Lima (15-4-1 MMA, 4-2 UFC) in Nashville at Bridgestone Arena. According to Saint Preux, his heavy-handed 31-year-old opponent’s style plays right into his strengths.

“I definitely know he’s an aggressive striker, which is good for me,” Saint Preux said. “I can get aggressive when I need to be. … When it comes down to me biting down on my mouthpiece, I can do that. And usually when I do that, it’s usually trouble for the other guy.”

Saint Preux will also have the crowd behind him. The Knoxville Martial Arts Academy fighter estimates 150 to 200 friends, family members, fraternity brothers, training partners and former classmates will be in attendance on fight night.

“I’m just going to be out there smiling and having fun,” he said. “As long as I’m going out there with a big smile across my face, more than likely, that means I’m really, really relaxed. And that means it’s really, really bad for the other guy.”

For more on UFC Fight Night 108, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.