Shogun Rua vs. Ovince Saint Preux: Keys to Victory for Each Fighter

This Saturday, the UFC goes to Brazil with UFC Fight Night 56. The headline fight on this card is a light heavyweight matchup between former champ Mauricio "Shogun" Rua and Strikeforce vet Ovince "OSP" Saint Preux.

Rua is ranked No. 9 in the division and is hoping to make one more run at a title shot, while Saint Preux is ranked No. 10 and is still working his way up the divisional ladder.

This is a tough fight for both of them, so let's take a look at the keys to victory for each fighter.

Shogun Rua

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Knockout Power

Everybody knows that Shogun tries to win one way these days. Every single win dating back to 2007 has come by way of (T)KO. His last win by decision was in 2006, and only two fights have gone to decision since then.

If Shogun wants to win this fight, he'll have to be the first person since 2009—and only the second person ever—to knock out Saint Preux.

Cardio

In Shogun's last fight against Dan Henderson, he looked tired around the midway point of the second round. This fight is five rounds, so Rua will need to be in good shape—or pace himself—if he wants to be able to hang with Saint Preux.

Ovince Saint Preux

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Takedowns

OSP's best chance of winning is taking this fight to the ground and beating Shogun up. If he can do it early, he can cause Shogun to gas and take away the threat of a knockout.

On the other side, OSP was taken down nine times in his last fight, which came against Ryan Bader. Admittedly, Bader is a better wrestler than Shogun, but he still has to be careful that Shogun doesn't look for a submission or a ground and pound victory.

Control

OSP needs to be in control in a few different ways. First of all, he needs to dictate the pace of the fight. He can't let Shogun rush him and throw shots. He can't let Shogun set the pace on the feet and keep him on his heels. He needs to be in his face right from the first bell.

Second, OSP is taking this fight on short notice—in Brazil. The crowd will be against him, and he can't pay any attention to that. This is his second headline fight in a row, but this one is easily the biggest of his career.

He has to remain calm and fight his fight. If he gets flustered at all by the Brazilian crowd, it could be a quick night for him.