The UFC is back with an event in St. Louis this weekend. The promotion will kick off with a heavyweight main event at the Enterprise Center, where fan-favorite Derrick Lewis looks to continue his historic knockout record against rising Brazilian contender Rodrigo Nascimento. It’ll all happen Saturday night from Missouri.
Lewis (27-12) is chasing a 15th UFC KO on Saturday to further his legend as the company’s most talented KO artist. “The Black Beast” has fought four UFC Heavyweight Champions (including the interim), but has been on a decline competitively. Lewis has not recorded consecutive wins since 2021 and is 2-5 in his last seven matches. Recently, Lewis was overwhelmed by the grappling of Zalton Almeida for five rounds. Lewis, 39, insists he feels better than ever despite a tough performance.
“My coaches and other people say that once you turn 40 everything starts to slow down, but this is the best I’ve ever felt,” Lewis told CBS Sports. “These last two fights before a fight in training camp are the best I’ve felt. I’m feeling great.”
Nascimento (11-1) has the mentality of a young fighter on his way to victory. Nascimento headlined his first UFC card after earning three consecutive decision wins. The former “Contender Series” veteran is primarily a submission finisher, but he hopes to take advantage every chance he gets in a fight. That’s a lot of confidence for a fighter who has yet to go more than three rounds facing his most accomplished opponent.
“I have a lot of ways to beat him,” Nascimento told reporters at Wednesday’s media day. “Putting him down is another way. I can attack, I can knock him down. I can finish him off, or I can fight all five rounds.”
“He has a good name and he has good publicity, but after this Saturday everyone will know my name because I will beat him.”
Watch the full interview with Derrick Lewis below.
Below are the rest of Saturday’s fight cards with the latest odds before making predictions and picking the main event.
UFC Fight Night Card, Odds
| derrick lewis-155 | Rodrigo Nascimento +130 | weighty |
| Joaquin Buckley-135 | Nursultan Ruzibov +115 | welterweight |
| Carlos Ulberg-270 | Alonzo Menifield +220 | light heavyweight |
| Mateusz Rebicki-420 | Diego Ferreira-320 | lightweight |
| shaun woodson-205 | Alex Caceres +175 | featherweight |
| Robalis Despaigne-235 | Waldo Cortes-Acosta +195 | weighty |
UFC Fight Night viewing information
date: 11th May Start time: 7 PM ET (Main Card)
Place: Enterprise Center–St.Louis
TV Channel: espn+
Prediction
Derrick Lewis vs. Rodrigo Nascimento: Picking Lewis at this stage is always a risk. The guy apparently has record-setting KO power but his durability is diminished. The two-time title challenger has been stopped in four of his last seven appearances. Nascimento would be wise to take the fight to the later rounds to reduce the KO threat. The problem is that I’m not impressed with Nascimento. He is coming off three consecutive decision wins, including split decisions against former light heavyweight fighters Ilir Latifi and Tanner Boser. They were not inspiring performances. Nascimento started his UFC run quite well – ignoring his quick KO loss to Chris Doukas – but his inability to win hurt his stock mightily. Lewis can still pout. Despite his technical limitations, he has a lot of fighting experience and a better skill set than Nascimento. I see KO number 15 on the way. Lewis via KO2
UFC Fight Night: Who Wins Lewis vs. Nascimento, and How Does Each Fight Really End? Visit SportsLine now for a comprehensive pick on UFC Fight Night, all from the MMA expert who made more than $1,500 on his UFC main-card picks in 2023, and find out.
