The UFC\u2019s all-time knockout king Derrick Lewis returns to the Octagon for a main event heavyweight battle against Rodrigo Nascimento at the Enterprise Center in St Louis on Saturday night (Sunday morning SA time), writes Quintin van Jaarsveld.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
UFC<\/a><\/strong> St Louis\u2019 co-headliner will see local favourite Joaquin Buckley battle Nursulton Ruziboev in a welterweight contest, while light heavyweights Alonzo Menifield and Carlos Ulberg collide in the featured bout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The first half of the main card consists of a heavyweight duel between Waldo Cortes-Acosta and Robelis Despaigne, a featherweight fight between veteran Alex Caceres and Sean Woodson and a lightweight meeting between Diego Ferreira and Mateusz Rebecki.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n A fan-favourite brawler, Lewis (27-12) has blasted a record 14 foes into oblivion inside the Octagon and boasts 22 knockouts in all. He\u2019s not the fastest or most skillful fighter but the frightening dynamite he has in his hands has made him a mainstay in the heavyweight elite for years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe Black Beast\u201d is a former two-time title challenger, holds a win over former champion Francis Ngannou and has knocked out top contenders such as Curtis Blaydes and Alexander Volkov.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He\u2019s deceptively athletic for a behemoth who cuts weight to make the 265-pound limit, throwing out a jumping knee or switch kick every now and then, and has the patience to stalk his prey and wait for an opening to close the show.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At 39, however, his best days are behind him. He\u2019s just 1-4 in his last five fights, though it must be said all four of those losses came against top-10 giants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He brought the house down with a quick finish of Marcos Rogerio de Lima last July to snap a three-fight losing streak but was controlled by Jailton Almeida in a frustrating five-round decision loss four months later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now ranked 12th, he\u2019s become somewhat of a gatekeeper and serves as a dangerous veteran test for the oncoming Nascimento (11-1).<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Three straight wins will see Nascimento enter uncharted waters as he competes in his maiden UFC main event. Lewis, on the other hand, has headlined 11 UFC cards, which is one less fight Nascimento has in total.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A skilled grappler, \u201cZe Colmeia\u201d will aim to follow Almeida\u2019s blueprint to score the biggest win of his career. He\u2019s far from the athlete and grappler Almeida is, though, and hasn\u2019t fought anyone near the calibre of Lewis. He\u2019s a plodding heavyweight who\u2019s yet to truly impress in the UFC, with two of his wins being by split decision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He has a solid ground game (six submissions) and will shoot early and often. It\u2019s easy to suggest the fight will come down to whether Lewis can stuff his Brazilian opponent\u2019s takedowns but it\u2019s not quite as simple as that as Lewis has shown the ability to buck and worm his way off the bottom and back to his feet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Again, 15th-ranked Nascimento isn\u2019t the world-class grappler Lewis is used to facing, so even if the veteran is put on his back, he should be able to turn it back into a stand-up battle where he has a decided advantage. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Add his invaluable experience and Lewis should return to his knockout ways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Prediction:<\/strong> Lewis by knockout.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Best Bet: <\/strong>Lewis by KO\/TKO\/DQ at 1.74.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Alternative Bet:<\/strong> Lewis at 1.64.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Enterprise Center will be rocking when hometown hero Buckley (18-6) makes the walk to the Octagon in the co-main event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNew Mansa\u201d is on a tear, winning three in a row, and is coming off a massive win over Vicente Luque (his 13th career knockout) that elevated him to No.11 at 170 pounds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Muscle-bound Buckley will always be remembered for his all-time classic knockout against Impa Kasanganay four years ago, but he\u2019s put in work since then, particularly since making the move from middleweight to welterweight, where he\u2019s unbeaten and an explosive dark horse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Speaking of dark horses, Ruziboev (34-8-2-2NC) has almost twice as much experience as Buckley but is only two fights into his UFC career. The Uzbekistan ace is thus relatively unknown to UFC audiences but has the tools to make a serious impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n First off, he\u2019s massive for the weight class; at 6’5″, he\u2019ll tower over his 5’10” opponent. And secondly, he\u2019s a well-rounded savage who\u2019s claimed 32 of his 34 wins by finish (12 knockouts and 20 submissions), including recording back-to-back first-round KOs inside the Octagon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n I won\u2019t be surprised if \u201cBlack\u201d spoils the party in his welterweight debut, but Buckley\u2019s speed, explosiveness and experience along with the support of his home crowd should see him prevail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Prediction:<\/strong> Buckley by decision.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Best Bet:<\/strong> Buckley at 1.74.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Alternative Bet:<\/strong> Buckley by decision at 5.00.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Heavy-handed light heavyweights trade leather in the featured bout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A tank on a roll, Menifield (15-3-1) is on a five-fight unbeaten streak that\u2019s taken him up to 11th place in the rankings. A compact crusher, he has 10 knockouts to his name. He\u2019s a brawler by nature, one who\u2019s improving gradually and starting to enter his prime.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Ulberg (10-1) has plenty of momentum as well. He\u2019s on a five-fight win streak with each of his last four victories coming by stoppage. As a training partner of Israel Adesanya\u2019s at City Kickboxing, the New Zealander is primarily a striker but showed another side of his game when he submitted Da-un Jung last time out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n In what\u2019s set to be a striking battle, \u201cBlack Jag\u201d is the more technical striker whose straighter, crisper shots and superior distance management should see him take Menifield\u2019s number.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Prediction: <\/strong>Ulberg by knockout.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Best Bet:<\/strong> Ulberg by KO\/TKO\/DQ at 1.90.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Alternative Bet: <\/strong>Under 1.5 rounds at 2.14.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n An intriguing lightweight match-up will see a battle-tested Octagon warrior cross swords with an oncoming threat out of Poland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ferreira (18-5) made his UFC debut almost a decade ago and has faced some of the best 155-pounders of his era. The Brazilian, who boasts a submission win over former champion Anthony Pettis, is nearing the end of his career, though, and was on a three-fight losing streak before he starched Michael Johnson last May.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n By rattling off a trio of victories in his first year in the UFC in 2023, Rebecki (19-1) extended his win streak to 16. The southpaw packs a serious punch and is a powerful grappler looking to prove just how good he is against a seasoned campaigner.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n While Ferreira is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, he\u2019s been controlled by strong wrestlers in the past and will struggle to keep up with the pace of his 31-year-old opponent. That leaves the Pole poised to pick up the win, most likely by knocking out a tired Ferreira.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Prediction: <\/strong>Rebecki by knockout.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Best Bet: <\/strong>Rebecki by KO\/TKO\/DQ at 2.20.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Alternative Bet:<\/strong> Over 1.5 rounds at 1.64.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Missouri\u2019s own Woodson (11-1-1) looks to claim a cherished scalp when he squares off against featherweight veteran Caceres (21-14).<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBruce Leeroy\u201d is in his 14th year on the UFC roster and while he was unsuccessful against Giga Chikadze last time out, he\u2019s 7-2 in his last nine fights, an impressive record that shows the 35-year-old remains a tough out for anyone trying to break into the top 15.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jiu-jitsu is the strongest part of Caceres\u2019 game, but he wouldn\u2019t have lasted this long in the world\u2019s leading mixed martial arts promotion if he wasn\u2019t well-rounded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Woodson returns home on a five-fight unbeaten run, most recently beating Charles Jourdain by split decision in January. Super tall (6’2″) and lanky for a featherweight, \u201cThe Sniper\u201d lives up to his nickname as a precision puncher from the outside. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Expect a striking chess match at range pitting Caceres\u2019 kicks and veteran savviness against the boxing and speed of Woodson, with four-and-a-half-inch reach advantage tipping things in the latter\u2019s favour.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Prediction:<\/strong> Woodson by decision.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Best Bet: <\/strong>Woodson by decision at 1.95.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Alternative Bet:<\/strong> Woodson at 1.48.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Up-and-coming heavyweights plan on starting the main card with a bang.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cortes-Acosta (11-1) is 4-1 in the UFC and is coming off a decision win over former champion Andre Arlovski in January. Although Arlovski is nowhere near the fighter he was in his heyday, it was still a solid win for \u201cSalsa Boy\u201d, who isn\u2019t particularly potent but more of a tactician.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n The undefeated Despaigne (5-0) is the polar opposite. The Cuban colossus, who stands 6’7″ and has a superhuman 87-inch reach, has won all of his fights by knockout in the first round.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Just how explosive is he? Well, his 18-second destruction of Josh Parisian in his UFC debut last time out was the second-longest fight of his career to date. Making \u201cBig Boy\u201d even more terrifying is the fact that he\u2019s an Olympic bronze medallist in taekwondo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n As Cortes-Acosta isn\u2019t the most dangerous heavyweight around, Despaigne won\u2019t hesitate to walk him down and with excellent technique and an unheard-of 17-inch reach advantage, he\u2019ll score another finish.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Prediction:<\/strong> Despaigne by knockout.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Best Bet: <\/strong>Despaigne by KO\/TKO\/DQ at 1.62.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nMAIN CARD (from 1 AM Sunday SA time):<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Derrick Lewis (1.64) v Rodrigo Nascimento (2.30) (Heavyweight)<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Joaquin Buckley (1.74) v Nursulton Ruziboev (2.14) (Welterweight)<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Alonzo Menifield (3.20) v Carlos Ulberg (1.37) (Light Heavyweight)<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Diego Ferreira (4.10) v Mateusz Rebecki (1.25) (Lightweight)<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Alex Caceres (2.70) v Sean Woodson (1.48) (Featherweight)<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Waldo Cortes-Acosta (2.70) v Robelis Despaigne (1.48) (Heavyweight)<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n