26-17 veteran Ovince St. Preux reportedly removed from UFC roster after second USADA violation

UFC veteran Ovince St. Preux is no longer on the promotion's roster after being dropped due to another USADA drug test failure. The algorithm-based automated X bot @UFCRosterWatch recently reported the news of his release.

St.Preux competed in the UFC's light heavyweight division and had a professional record of 26-17. A few days ago, the 40-year-old Haitian-American tested positive for a banned substance, a long-term metabolite of either androstenedione and/or testosterone, per a USADA release. This was his second USADA violation.

During the USADA's investigation, it was found that Ovince St. Preux used a tainted supplement. He was able to provide a sample of the same for analysis and prove that it was an unintentional violation. As a result, he was handed a shorter six-month suspension instead of the usual two-year ban.

Just days after the USADA suspension, the famed @UFCRosterWatch bot account on X (formerly Twitter) reported that Ovince St. Preux was no longer in the UFC. 'OSP' was coming off a first-round knockout loss against Philipe Lins at UFC Vegas 69 and was 2-3 in his last five outings.

Given his less-than-impressive form over the past three years, coupled with his second anti-doping policy violation, perhaps it's unsurprising that the promotion decided to release the Haitian-American light heavyweight.

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What rare submission move was Ovince St. Preux famous for?

Ovince St. Preux gained notoriety in the UFC for his exceptional ability to use the rare Von Flue choke. This move is essentially used to counter guillotine choke attempts and requires side control over the opponent.

The Von Flue choke was named after Jason Von Flue, an American MMA fighter who introduced fans to the move at WEC in 2003. He later executed the choke once again on his UFC debut in 2006. While the move is named after him, it's 'OSP' who has pulled it off a total of four times.

Interestingly, it was UFC commentator Joe Rogan who suggested the submission move be named the "OSP choke" after Ovince St. Preux, given how the Haitian-American has used it more often and more effectively. Rogan was reminded of this when Alonzo Menifield used it against Fabio Cherant at UFC 260 in March 2021.

Ovince St. Preux used the Von Flue choke for the first time against Nikita Krylov at UFC 171, beating the Ukrainian fighter via first-round submission. He then repeated the feat against Marcos Rogerio De Lima at UFC Fight Night 108 and then immediately against Yushin Okami at UFC Fight Night 117. He used it for the last time against Michael Oleksiejczuk at UFC Fight Night 160 in September 2019.