Ovince St. Preux vs. Patrick Cummins Set for UFC on Fox 15 in April

There are no easy roads to the top of the UFC's light heavyweight division, and two emerging talents will get their opportunity to take another step toward the elite tier when Ovince St. Preux and Patrick Cummins square off at UFC on Fox 15. 

UFC.com officially announced the collision between OSP and the resilient grappler on Wednesday, adding another solid tilt to the UFC's return to the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, on April 18.

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A clash of top-ranked middleweights headlines the card, as Lyoto Machida and Luke Rockhold battle for a potential shot at the 185-pound crown. The race for the next championship opportunity in the middleweight fold has become increasingly competitive over the past year, and the bout between the former light heavyweight champion and the former Strikeforce 185-pound titleholder will carry heavy implications on that particular title picture.

St. Preux has won five of his six showings inside the Octagon since joining the UFC back in 2013, which includes a stunning 34-second finish of MMA legend Mauricio "Shogun" Rua in his most recent bout at Fight Night 56 in November. The former University of Tennessee football player put away the former UFC and Pride champion in impressive fashion and will be looking to build off that career highlight in his next outing.

While Cummins' introduction to the biggest stage in MMA didn't result in a successful debut, he has found his groove in the aftermath. "Durkin" has notched three consecutive victories since his loss to Daniel Cormier at UFC 170 and has begun to claw his way up the light heavyweight ladder on the strength of those performances. The Southern California transplant outmuscled and outwrestled Brazilian standout Antonio Carlos Junior en route to picking up the unanimous-decision victory at Fight Night 58 in December.

Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. Statistics are courtesy of UFC.com.