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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Even Derrick Lewis isn’t sure why he’s in another main event.

On Wednesday this past week, “The Black Beast” told reporters that he’d much prefer not to headline if only for the fact that he doesn’t want to fight for five rounds if he can avoid it. Besides, Lewis is old hat at this, having previously been featured in 10 UFC main events, a rarity for a non-champion.

Given his history, it’s not likely that Lewis needs the full 25 minutes anyway when he fights the streaking Rodrigo Nascimento at UFC St. Louis on Saturday. Lewis looks to add to his UFC knockout record (14) and halt Nascimento’s four-fight unbeaten streak.

For Nascimento, Lewis represents the biggest name on his résumé to date. After beating Don’Tale Mayes a second time in one of the most unnecessary rematches in MMA history, Nascimento is now out to prove that he’s a legit title contender, and case that gets stronger if he gets past Lewis.

In the co-main event, St. Louis’ own Joaquin Buckley gets his wish to fight in his hometown, but he might regret not having a name to call out after his recent win over Vicente Luque. Buckley defeated a ranked opponent for the first time, which should have earned him another name with a number next to it; instead, he faces the dangerous Nursulton Ruziboev, who is 2-0 in the UFC and has nearly 50 pro bouts under his belt.

Also on the main card, light heavyweight veteran Alonzo Menifield looks to snap Carlos Ulberg’s five-fight win streak, Diego Ferreira returns to fight 19-1 lightweight Mateusz Rebecki, veteran featherweight Alex Caceres takes on Sean Woodson, and Waldo Cortes-Acosta fights heavyweight knockout machine Robelis Despaigne.

What: UFC St. Louis

Where: Enterprise Center in St. Louis

When: Saturday, May 11. The six-fight preliminary card begins at 4 p.m. ET on ESPN and ESPN+, followed by a six-fight main card at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN and ESPN+.

Odds: DraftKings Sportsbook

(Numbers in parentheses indicate standing in MMA Fighting’s Global Rankings)

Derrick Lewis vs. Rodrigo Nascimento

I feel confident stating that most of you aren’t aware that Rodrigo Nascimento is tied for the longest active win streak in the UFC’s heavyweight division at a scorching three.

I feel even more confident stating that you can’t guess who Nascimento is tied with? Go ahead. Take your time. I’ll be right here.

It’s Alexander Volkov, Karl Williams, and Mick Parkin. Obviously.

All of that preamble is to say that Nascimento can become the hottest heavyweight in the UFC with a win over Derrick Lewis, and considering the modest state of the division, that has to mean something. At the very least, Nascimento should get a fringe top-10 contender with an impressive performance on Saturday.

We must emphasize “impressive,” because if Nascimento dances around Lewis for five rounds and edges out a decision win, it might actually hurt his stock, much like what happened with Jailton Almeida after his uneventful 25-minute smothering of Lewis.

None of that matters anyway, since Nascimento doesn’t have the technical acumen to outpoint Lewis. He needs to look for a finish, something he’s been adverse to in his recent fights, and something Lewis has been doing for a decade. I just don’t like Nascimento’s chances of avoiding a power punch and once one lands, that’s all it will take for the master of swangin’ and bangin’.

Lewis by knockout.

Pick: Lewis

Joaquin Buckley (13) vs. Nursulton Ruziboev

Joaquin Buckley, this is your chance to steal the show.

I correctly predicted last week that Michel Pereira would be the hero of UFC 301 if he styled on Ihor Potieria in Brazil, which he did and he was (OK, Alexandre Pantoja and Jose Aldo were pretty great too). So once again I’m picking a fighter to wow the home crowd, in this case Buckley toppling Nursulton Ruziboev.

The UFC matchmakers did no favors for Buckley outside of letting him fight in his native St. Louis, and he has more to lose than gain. Buckley is coming off of a win against Vicente Luque, his most highly ranked opponent yet. However, instead of moving up the ladder, he has to deal with Ruziboev, who could take the top-15 spot that Buckley has worked so hard to earn.

Ruziboev is a massive welterweight on a ridiculous 10-fight streak of first-round finishes, so this has all the makings of a trap game for Buckley given Ruziboev’s relative anonymity. If fans don’t know who Ruziboev is yet, they’ll jump on the bandwagon quickly if he can finish Buckley inside of five minutes.

Speed kills and Buckley has the edge in that department. Counterintuitively, I think his smaller frame will actually allow him to attack Ruziboev from unpredictable angles, and after a back-and-forth first round, Buckley adds Ruziboev to his highlight reel in spectacular fashion.

Pick: Buckley

Alonzo Menifield vs. Carlos Ulberg

Alonzo Menifield surprised many by out-striking Dustin Jacoby and I think he can do the same to Carlos Ulberg. As much as Ulberg continues to improve, he’s also benefited from catching mid-tier competition at the right time, which won’t be the case when he steps into the cage with Menifield.

We saw a mature, fully formed Menifield last time out, which makes sense since he turns 37 later this year. In the light heavyweight division, age isn’t that much of a hindrance, so Menifield be able to gut it out over three rounds if need be.

This is a real clash of striking styles, with the bouncy Menifield going up against the more traditional Ulberg. Menifield definitely can’t get too cute, lest his head wander right into Ulberg’s range. At the same time, Ulberg can’t be too patient, because if Menifield finds his rhythm, then he can end this one in a flash.

Expect a compelling clash of offensive philosophies that ends with Menifield scoring an upset via strikes.

Pick: Menifield

Diego Ferreira vs. Mateusz Rebecki

Remember what I said about 37 not being an issue at light heavyweight? Well, being 39 at lightweight is definitely an issue, one that Diego Ferreira has to work around if he plans to stay relevant in MMA’s toughest division.

Mateusz Rebecki is a nightmare matchup for Ferreira. An absolute bulldog bursting with Polish power, Rebecki should have little trouble plowing his way through Ferreira’s defenses. There will come a time when Rebecki can’t just Hulk Smash his way to victory, but that won’t be today.

Besides, it’s not as if Rebecki’s success is purely a product of raw toughness and aggression. He has plenty of technique too, and even if Ferreira draws him into a ground battle, Rebeki can more than hold his own.

I have Rebecki bullying Ferreira early en route to a knockout in the first or second round.

Pick: Rebecki

Alex Caceres vs. Sean Woodson

I’ve counted out Alex Caceres in the past when he’s been matched up with a hungry fighter looking to take his spot. I’m not making that mistake this time.

Caceres’ experience and versatility are important assets when dealing with Sean Woodson, a long and lanky featherweight who likes to keep it loose. His goofy taunts have thrown many a fighter off their game, but I’d be surprised if they have any effect on “Bruce Leeroy.”

Saturday marks Caceres’ 30th UFC fight and he’ll celebrate in style by outmaneuvering Woodson for three rounds. Woodson likes to fight at his own pace, which Caceres won’t allow him to set. He’ll mix up his striking and grappling to keep Woodson guessing, and do just enough to eke out a decision win.

Pick: Caceres

Waldo Cortes-Acosta vs. Robelis Despaigne

Let’s be clear here, Waldo Cortes-Acosta is a big, big, big step up in competition from anything Robelis Despaigne has seen inside the cage. It’s entirely possible that the fun-loving “Salsa Boy” is a bridge too far for Despaigne at this point of his career, and that the Olympic taekwondo bronze medalist is in for a rude awakening.

But what’s the fun in making that prediction?

We want to see Despaigne continue to keep crushing fools and that’s what I’m going with. Despaigne is 6-foot-7 and has a ridiculous reach of 87 inches. If he wants to hit Cortes-Acosta, he’s going to, and he’s proven that he’s blessed with a “death touch” that would make Alex Pereira blush.

Here are the times for Despaigne’s past four finishes: 18 seconds, 4 seconds, 3 seconds, and 12 seconds.

You read that right, 4 seconds and 3 seconds.

It’s not as if Despaigne’s opponents are simply running at him and getting caught. He’s the one who engages and then takes advantage of his unfortunate foe’s mistake. There are few heavyweights who can strike with his level of accuracy and impact.

Cortes-Acosta certainly isn’t one of them, so look for Despaigne to stay red hot and score another knockout in less than two minutes.

Pick: Despaigne

Preliminaries

Viacheslav Borshchev def. Chase Hooper

Terrance McKinney def. Esteban Ribovics

Tabatha Ricci (13) def. Tecia Pennington

Trey Waters def. Billy Goff

Charles Johnson def. Jake Hadley

Veronica Hardy def. JJ Aldrich

MMA Fighting – All Posts

After delivering a couple of noteworthy knockouts at UFC 300, Jiri Prochazka and Alex Pereira appear to be on a collision course once again.

In November, ‘Poatan’ KO’d Prochazka in the second round of their headliner in MSG to win the vacant light heavyweight title. Since then, Pereira successfully defended his crown with a stellar first-round knockout of Jamahal Hill while ‘BJP’ put away Aleksandar Rakic with an insane come-from-behind finish in the landmark event’s featured prelim.

Those victories appear to have put Pereira and Prochazka on a path that will lead the two back to each other for a summertime scrap.

Speaking with James Lynch on behalf of Bodog Canada, Prochazka revealed that he has not heard anything from the promotion about a potential title opportunity, but he’ll be ready to go as early as June should the UFC decide to lock in the rematch.

“I didn’t heard anything,” Prochazka said. “I just said what I said in the cage after the fight — I want to be the next challenger for the title, and that’s something that is my opinion. Right now it’s up to the UFC, when they want to do this fight because I believe in my win and I will show I am able to take that belt and win in a fight with Alex Pereira.

“I’m waiting to settle this upcoming fight and I still don’t know who, if it will be Alex or who, but I believe the world wants to see that. The world wants to see this fight and I know I have the right weapons to defeat Alex Pereira” (h/t MMA Mania).

Alex Pereira would rather rematch Jiri Prochazka than wait for Magomed Ankalaev

Initially, it appeared as though Pereira’s next fight would be with streaking Russian standout Magomed Ankalaev.

However, the Dagestani would prefer to wait until October when the UFC makes its annual pit stop in Abu Dhabi. ‘Poatan’ has no interest in waiting that long, making Jiri Prochazka a prime target for his next title defense.

“Perfect time for me right now is to take two, three weeks, just a little bit of rest,” Prochazka added. “Take some inspiration. And right now I know what to do in preparation [for] the next [fight], especially for a fight with Alex. But, it’s still about my manager to confirm that. I think about August. July, August, or something like that. October maybe. Doesn’t matter. For me it doesn’t matter.

“If they want for me to fight in some short way, I will do that. I will go for that. If [UFC 303 in June] would be accepted by Alex, I will do that. I will go that.”

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

UFC 301 is in the books, which means it’s on to St. Louis!

UFC St. Louis goes down this Saturday from the Enterprise Center in the Gateway to the West, headlined by a heavyweight slugfest between Derrick Lewis and Rodrigo Nascimento, along with 12 other fights. Can Lewis add to his record number of UFC knockouts, and what are the best bets this weekend? Let’s dive in.

As always, all odds are courtesy of our friends at DraftKings Sportsbook.

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Straight Bets

Chase Hooper (+120)

I do not believe that Hooper should be the underdog in this fight. Viacheslav Borschchev is the more physical fighter and the far superior striker, but “Slava Claus” is a uniquely bad defensive wrestler and Hooper has a huge advantage on the floor. This is as straightforward of a fight as you can draw up: Hooper survives on the feet and gets takedowns. From there, it should be formulaic. And as Hooper continues to develop as a fighter and simply grow into his body, it will get progressively easier for him to win fights like this.

Tabatha Ricci (-135)

I have dubbed this fight “Sharknado” as “Baby Shark” Ricci takes on “The Tiny Tornado” Tecia Pennington (née Torres). And in the cinematic masterpiece that was Sharknado, it was the sharks that mattered more to the story. Sure, the tornadoes were destructive, but without the sharks, that movie is just Twister. The sharks made the movie, and the “Baby Shark” makes this fight.

Yes, that is all the breakdown I will be doing on this matchup.

Photo by Pedro Vilela/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Prop Bets

Derrick Lewis To Win By KO/TKO/DQ (-135)

Reports of Lewis being washed up are greatly exaggerated. Lewis is certainly not the fighter he was at the peak of his powers, but his recent poor run of form is really a testament to how fighters age. When you get over the hill, weaknesses exacerbate. Lewis was always an underwhelming grappler, more reliant on his physicality than technique, and as that dropped off, more people took advantage. But Nascimento isn’t one of those dudes. This is someone who got knocked out by Chris Daukaus, and I have to imagine Lewis can do the same. You’re not getting a lot of extra value with this prop, but every little bit helps.

Robelis Despaigne To Win By KO/TKO/DQ (-165)

Whenever you have the chance to lay minus odds on a prop bet for a 35-year-old heavyweight with only five professional fights, you have to do it.

But seriously, I love Despaigne. We’re talking about an Olympic medalist Taekwondo practitioner who is absolutely enormous and boops people in seconds. Since his professional debut, Despaigne is 4-0 with a combined fight time of 37 seconds! What’s not to love?

Moreover, Waldo Cortes-Acosta is not very good. He’s fine as far as this era of UFC heavyweights goes, but the man is a boxer who doesn’t really knock people out all that often. Give me “The Big Booper” all day.

Photo by Michelle Farsi/Getty Images

Parlay of the Week

As always, I love me a gimmick. And while there are three St. Louis fighters competing on this card, only two of them are viable parlay fodder (I’m sorry but I just can’t trust Charles Johnson). I had no other option but to pair them up.

Joaquin Buckley (-130)

I am convinced this fight won’t actually happen. Both Buckley and Nursulton Ruziboev competed five weeks ago at UFC Atlantic City, and while that shouldn’t be a big issue for Buckley, Ruziboev is now cutting down to welterweight. That’s a big ask for man who is 6-foot-5, even under the best of circumstances, much less on a quick turnaround.

Ruziboev somehow made the weight (I know he’s competed at welterweight many times before), but I still think that’s going to do more harm than good for him. Ruziboev is a sneaky good fighter, but if he’s coming in here diminished, that’s a tough place to be against a guy as powerful as Buckley who is also reaching his fighting peak.

Sean Woodson (-218)

Alex Caceres is a tough out for anyone, but this should be Woodson’s ticket to the top 15. Caceres is a little older and a little slower, and he’s never been a super high-volume fighter. Caceres is more of a jack-of-all-trades type, and that’s poorly suited against Woodson, who should have the run of play on the feet and is more than good enough as a wrestler to keep things standing. I expect Woodson to outpoint Caceres cleanly.

Parlay these two bets together for +158 odds.

Wrap Up

We got hammered at UFC 301. Nailed our Jose Aldo underdog pick but whiffed on all the props (though if there is a silver lining, I was on the right side of all of them). Oh well. It’s on to St. Louis!

Until next week, enjoy the fights, good luck, and gamble responsibly!

All information in this article is provided to readers of MMA Fighting for entertainment, news, and amusement purposes only. It is the responsibility of the reader to learn and abide by online gambling laws in their region before placing any online sports betting wagers.

MMA Fighting – All Posts

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

MMA Fighting has Lomachenko vs. Kambosos results live for the Vasiliy Lomachenko vs. George Kambosos event on Saturday night at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia.

When the main event begins around 12 a.m. ET, check out our Lomachenko vs. Kambosos live round-by-round updates for our live blog of the main event. Vasiliy Lomachenko (17-3, 11 KOs) and George Kambosos (21-2, 10 KOs) collide for the vacant IBF lightweight title. Kambosos is also the current IBO lightweight champion.

Check out the Lomachenko vs. Kambosos results below:

Main Event

Vasiliy Lomachenko vs. George Kambosos

Prelimary Card

Andrew Moloney vs. Pedro Guevara

Nina Hughes vs. Cherneka Johnson

Early Prelims

Imam Khataev vs. Ricards Bolotniks

Lucas Browne vs. Hemi Ahio

Joe Goodall vs. Djanago Opelu

Undercard live blog (ESPN, ESPN+ at 10 p.m. ET)

Andrew Moloney vs. Pedro Guevara

Round 1:

Round 2:

Round 3:

Round 4:

Round 5:

Round 6:

Round 7:

Round 8:

Round 9:

Round 10:

Round 11:

Round 12:

Nina Hughes vs. Cherneka Johnson

Round 1:

Round 2:

Round 3:

Round 4:

Round 5:

Round 6:

Round 7:

Round 8:

Round 9:

Round 10:

Round 11:

Round 12:

MMA Fighting – All Posts

Bad Matchup
| BJPenn.com

Bringing you the weird and wild from the world of MMA each and every weeknight!

Welcome to Midnight Mania!

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw never wanted to call it quits. Unfortunately, a chronically mangled shoulder forced his hand, as well as derailing his final chance at recapturing UFC gold in his doomed 2022 bout versus Aljamain Sterling.

Perhaps there’s still hope?

Just last month, Dillashaw was expressing doubts and second thoughts about his retirement. Now, Dillashaw has a positive update from his latest surgery, and he’s optimistic about his future. “Seem to be healing great from last surgery,” Dillashaw wrote on Instagram. “Will know more in the coming weeks but the future looks bright.”

Prior to all those shoulder surgeries, Dillashaw was the two-time UFC Bantamweight king. He first captured the belt by dethroning Renan Barao then later took the title again by stopping Cody Garbrandt twice. However, his attempt to become a two-division champion ended up costing him 135-pound gold, as he failed a drug test and lost two years of his prime while pursuing Henry Cejudo’s Flyweight belt.

He wouldn’t be the first MMA fighter to return from a brief retirement.

Insomnia

What percentage of serious fight fans are actually demanding Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic? It feels like a fight aimed at the casual fans who don’t realize just how long Miocic has been away.

Darren Till appears to be getting ready for a return to action. Will it be bare knuckle or boxing?

A fun Bantamweight booking with a bonus bit of backstory!

Demetrious Johnson reveals how much he made to be in the UFC video games, as well as on the cover.

Renato Moicano is hilarious.

Khabib is enjoying his hard-earned retirement.

Joaquin Buckley is a deeply unserious person. I love it!

Slips, rips, and KO clips

In case you missed it: One of the most violent men in UFC history retired last weekend. There can be no doubt that Matt Brown “unleashed the animal!”

Count the head kicks in this attempt at a prank:

That’s a full face plant.

Random Land

Incredible talent and mastery.

Midnight Music: I was away from the helm for the best parts of the Kendrick vs. Drake rap beef. My favorite track from each (ideally listened to in the order that they’re posted):

Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.

MMAmania.com – All Posts

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts