Ovince Saint Preux still works with Tennessee Volunteers

LAS VEGAS – Earlier than he was a UFC mild heavyweight, Ovince Saint Preux was a Tennessee Volunteer – and his nonetheless is, in a way.

A linebacker and defensive finish for the College of Tennessee from 2001 to 2004, Saint Preux (26-17 MMA, 14-12 UFC) nonetheless maintains a relationship with the workforce twenty years later.

“I’m blessed in a means, simply because early on in my profession, any time I wanted assist, any time I had one thing incorrect with me, even early on after I began, I used to be in a position to basically go to College of Tennessee and use the trainers that I had and be like, ‘Hey, I’ve this incorrect with me. Are you able to assist me out?’” Saint Preux informed MMA Junkie and different reporters Wednesday. “They’d be like, ‘OK, sit right here. We’ll provide the rundown. Increase, increase, increase, increase. Subsequent, I would like you right here twice or three days every week so you may get therapy.’”

However Saint Preux isn’t the one one to learn from his alumnus standing. The Volunteers teaching workers have him communicate to the workforce from time to time, one thing Saint Preux has loved – and so have the gamers.

“The linebacker coach isn’t at UT any extra, however when he was there, he was Haitian. He recruited me out of highschool. So him and I, we have been speaking. He’s like, ‘I would like you to come back discuss to our linebackers.’ I’m like, ‘OK, I can come discuss to your linebackers.’ It went from speaking to the linebackers after which two days earlier than I got here to speak, he’s like, ‘Hey, Coach (John) Heupel wants you to come back discuss to the workforce.’ I’m like, ‘What?’ So I needed to discuss to the entire workforce. It’s humorous as a result of after I walked in there, everyone was type of speaking. They placed on a spotlight video and everyone acquired quiet, which is cool I acquired their consideration.

“Then, I used to be just about answering questions for the following hour-and-a-half. Heupel needed to cease them from asking questions as a result of he was like, ‘We’ve got to cease as a result of we by no means had this a lot questions requested earlier than.’ I used to be like, ‘All proper, that’s fairly cool.’ However each time I’m going again to the advanced, it’s just about all love. All people sees it as just about all love.”

Saint Preux, 40, is Saturday set to break the record for many mild heavyweight appearances in promotion historical past (25) when he faces Kennedy Nzechukwu (12-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC) at UFC Fight Night 239 on the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Even in any case these years (and all these video games) OSP feels good – and that’s giant partially to his alma mater.

“I used to be nonetheless ready to make use of their weight room, chilly plunge, trainers, everyone,” Saint Preux stated. “To me, everyone’s been open arms. Even speaking to Coach Heupel, he’s like, ‘Something we are able to do for you, simply tell us.’ Consider me, I’m in there rather a lot.”

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