UFC reveals names of fighters who’ll face off in January in Charlotte

The Ultimate Fighting Championship has announced the first bout for the UFC Fight Night event that will take place in Charlotte early next year: Ovince St. Preux vs. Ilir Latifi.

Set for uptown’s Spectrum Center on Saturday, Jan. 27, the card marks the first time in nearly eight years that the UFC has hosted mixed martial arts fights in Charlotte. The event will be televised on Fox.

The light heavyweight bout announced this week by UFC will pit Latifi, a 34-year-old Swede, against St. Preux, a 34-year-old from Florida who fights out of Knoxville, Tenn.

St. Preux has a record of 22-10-0, with his most recent bout – against Corey Anderson on Nov. 4 at UFC 217 – ending in victory over Corey Anderson. Latifi (whose nickname is “The Sledgehammer”) is 14-5-0 and last earned a unanimous decision against Tyson Pedro at UFC 215 in September.

Tickets for UFC Fight Night Charlotte go on sale Dec. 15 at www.spectrumcentercharlotte.com.

The UFC last was in town on March 31, 2010, when former Boston College soccer player Kenny Florian choked Japanese star Takanori Gomi into submission in the main event at Bojangles’ Coliseum.

For more information on the UFC: www.ufc.com.

This story was originally published November 13, 2017 at 2:32 PM with the headline "UFC reveals names of fighters who’ll face off in January in Charlotte."