In the opening fight of the UFC 171 main card, Ovince St. Preux made quick work of Nikita Krylov with a 90 second Von Flue choke submission win. St. Preux extended his undefeated UFC record to three fights. Coming off a win in his light heavyweight debut, Krylov dropped to 1-1 at 205 lbs. and 1-2 in the promotion.
St. Preux kept the fight short and sweet. He got Krylov down easily with an early takedown and quickly got into side control. From there he dropped his shoulder into “Al Capone’s” neck. Pinned to the mat, Krylov was unable to escape and went unconscious before Dan Miragliotta stopped the fight for the technical submission.
What was the high point of the fight?
The stoppage. As a BJJ novice, I didn’t note OSP’s set up for the submission and thought a round of grinding top control was on its way. Next thing I know, Miragliotta waved off the fight and Krylov was unconscious.
Where do they go from here?
With three UFC wins under his belt now and two of them by stoppage, St. Preux needs a step up in competition. Someone like Rafael Calvacante would make a good next fight for him.
This was a tough break for Krylov who had a lot of momentum coming off a quick KO in his last fight. He doesn’t need to worry about getting cut, but he’ll need a win against another lower level 205 lber in his next outing.
Watch it now, later, or never?
Definitely watch this one now. OSP became only the second man ever to pull off a Von Flue choke in the Octagon. The first was Jason Von Flue all the way back in 2006.