Rodrigo
Nascimento has no intentions of stalling the fight by simply
maintaining top position against Derrick
Lewis in their upcoming showdown.
Nascimento (11-1) will face a step up in competition when he takes
on Derrick
Lewis (27-12) in the main event at
UFC St. Louis on May 11. While Lewis is known for his highlight
reel knockouts, Nascimento is not underestimating his opponent’s
well-roundedness going into his first
Ultimate Fighting Championship headliner.
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“So I think he’s an unpredictable fighter right… He’s super
dangerous, you know, he has heavy hands but he’s a complete
fighter,” the Brazilian said during UFC
St. Louis media day. “I know this, I watch his fights; he knows
how to put someone down. He can strike, he can fake. He’s a
complete fighter for sure.”
Lewis is coming off a lopsided unanimous decision loss against
Jailton
Almeida in November 2023, where “Malhadinho” mostly controlled
him on the ground without scoring much damage. While Almeida might
have exposed the safest roadmap to beating the feared KO artist,
Nascimento doesn’t plan on following that blueprint. “Yogi Bear”
believes he can do more damage on the ground and exert better
control — being heavier than Almeida — who was formerly a light
heavyweight.
“Yeah, for sure he’s good at [getting randomly back to his feet]
but I’m not Jailton [Almeida],” The 31-year-old said. “I have more
weight and more ground control for sure, and I have good
ground-and- pound. And if I put him down one time, it’s just one
time I need to finish this fight.”
Lewis is known for his entertaining post-fight antics, like taking
off his shorts or throwing his cup into the crowd. However,
Nascimento doesn’t plan to replicate anything similar if gets past
Lewis.
“This is his business you know. He’s a super funny guy but I’m not
going to do this for sure. And throw my cup in the crowd, even
worse, I’m not going to do these things for sure.”
While Nascimento has finished eight of his 11 career wins, his last
three conquests have come via decisions. He is currently on a
three-fight winning streak with a KO over Alan Baudot
being overturned to a no-contest due to the Brazilian failing a
drug test. Meanwhile, Lewis is 1-4 in his last five, with the
solitary win coming against Marcos
Rogerio de Lima via knockout at
UFC 291 in July 2023.