Tokyo Weekender - September 2017

As UFC Fight Night 117 in Japan
approaches later this month,
featuring one of the most exciting
rematches in recent MMA history,
we look at how the sport’s
popularity has risen globally while
declining in Japan – and the new
local star who could help turn
things around at home
UFC 197: Jones v Saint Preux, Getty/Zuffa LLC
It’s been two years since
current no. 7 ranking
light heavyweight
Ovince Saint Preux met
no. 6 ranking Mauricio
“Shogun” Rua inside the
cage on the latter’s home
turf in Brazil. Despite being
a last-minute replacement
as Shogun’s opponent and
having almost a decade
less fight experience than
the Brazilian, Saint Preux
stunned the masses when he
knocked out Shogun, ending
the match in just 34 seconds
to take the win. This month,
on September 23, the two
are set to face off again as
UFC holds its fifth live event
in Japan at Saitama Super
Arena. Fans of the sport are
itching to find out: was Saint
Preux’s unexpected knockout
a stroke of luck? Will he be
able to endure a fight that
might go five rounds? Looking
ahead to the rematch,
the fighter tells Weekender:
“I'm going to take it how I
can take it. If it goes all five
rounds, I’m prepared to go
all five rounds, if I can do it
in 34 seconds again, or even
shorter than that, then I'll
take that too.”
TOKYO WEEKENDER | SEPTEMBER 2017 | 23