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UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs Nascimento — Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Last night (Sat., May 11, 2024), Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) ventured forth to Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Missouri for UFC St. Louis. In the main event, Heavyweight sluggers Derrick Lewis and Rodrigo Nascimento promised violence, and the co-main featured hometown favorite Joaquin Buckley putting his ranking on the line against relative unknown Nursulton Ruziboev. Beneath those fights were a quality class of action fighters, guaranteeing a fun night of fights from “The Show-Me State.”

Let’s take a look back over at UFC St. Louis’ best performances and techniques:

The Black Beast Cometh

Derrick Lewis won in the usual manner last night.

On the feet, the power differential was beyond obvious. Nascimento landed a few shots, but it was immediately clear that he could not trade with “The Black Beast.” Even in the clinch, Lewis’ power was getting to the Brazilian, forcing him to work really hard for his takedowns. To Nascimento’s credit, he did good work in controlling Lewis and landing solid shots from top position.

The problem was that it wasn’t sustainable strategy for Nascimento. Rare is the Heavyweight who can wrestle hard for 25 minutes. As he began to slow, Lewis landed more and more often, and the kill shot inched closer. Early in the third, Lewis’ right hand found the temple, and that was all she wrote!

Buckley Gets The Job Done In STL

Methodical is never a word that I’ll use to describe Joaquin Buckley, but he was at the very least tactical against Nursulton Ruziboev, who towered over him from the first bell. Buckley had to be very careful closing range, and credit to “New Mansa,” he was able to use feints, false starts, and little sideways angle shifts to avoid the worst of Ruziboev’s counter shots.

Takedowns proved a surprisingly effective path to victory for Buckley. Between the occasional wild exchanges, Buckley showed off his explosiveness by running through Ruziboev with blast doubles. Initially, Ruziboev’s wild movement from his back deterred Buckley, but by the third round, Buckley was able to establish top position and drop nasty ground strikes.

It was a risky move from Buckley to take this fight, but he earned a clear-cut win in front of a boisterous home crowd because of the gamble. His win streak grows to four, and perhaps he looks up the ladder next?

Light Heavyweight’s New Contender

Carlos Ulberg only needed a dozen seconds to knock out Alonzo Menifield.

Admittedly, “Atomic” did his part to create the knockout also. He charged forward wildly just a couple seconds into the fight, losing his balance while over-swinging and falling over himself. As he regained his footing, Ulberg unleashed a combination and floored him with a left hook, extending his win streak to six in the process.

It’s time to get him in the cage opposite a Top 10 opponent. Didn’t Anthony Smith win a fight quickly just one week ago?

Lightweight’s Underappreciated Killer

At 39 years of age, Diego Ferreira just turned up-and-coming crusher Mateusz Rebecki’s face into mincemeat.

That’s not to say it was easy. Rebecki showed his gifts in the first round, getting in Ferreira’s grill and throwing vicious and powerful combinations. He clipped Ferreira upside the jaw on several occasions, smashed his nose with a hook, and floored him with a nasty left hand. He also scored a couple takedowns, but all the while, Ferreira kept moving and making him work.

The tide turned in the second. Ferreira’s game is that of consistent work rate and pressure. Though he was forced onto the back foot early by Rebecki’s power, he was still able to keep his pace high and target the body often with snappy front kicks. When Rebecki lost a touch of steam, Ferreira was in his face throwing five- and six-punch combos. He started touching Rebecki up, and the Polish prospect couldn’t turn to his wrestling, because Ferreira is a brilliant scrambler and refused to be contained. By the third, both of Rebecki’s eyes were nearly shut. He was exhausted. He kept throwing, but the writing was on the wall. The Brazilian finished him with a flurry on the floor just before the clock ran out.

Ferreira is a great Lightweight. He may not have turned his six-fight win streak into a title run, but the Brazilian deserves a ton of respect for turning away many would-be contenders. He’s been in the cage with everyone from Dustin Poirier to Anthony Pettis, and he brings the fight every time.

Did The Judges Get It Right?

I enjoyed the 15-minute battle between Alex Caceres and Sean Woodson. For the first five minutes, Woodson controlled range really well. He kicked the calf effectively and put together sharp combinations, really making good use of his feints and movement to stay ahead of the veteran.

“Bruce Leeroy” has been in the game for a long time, however, and he’s learned a trick or two. Caceres adjusted well in the second, doubling up on the pressure and targeting the body more often. He attacked in combination, occasionally spinning between punches in an attempt to close distance on the lanky boxer.

It was a competitive second frame, but Caceres’ success built in the third. He definitely took the final round, landing some good flurries while Woodson seemed to slow. There were still some fun exchanges, but Caceres finished the fight strong.

It seemed like enough to steal the decision, but the judges deemed otherwise. I consider the bout too close to be a robbery in either direction, which is why I’m turning the question to our readers: who do you think won?

The Best Chase Hooper Yet

A funny situation tends to play out when a really young prospect comes up through Contenders Series. They get a bit of hype, because look how skilled this barely-an-adult fighter is! Then, there are inevitable some bumps in the road, because these ultra young fighters don’t have a ton of experience or depth to their game.

Chase Hooper is 24 years old and five years into his UFC career. He’s shown off excellent jiu-jitsu, but his standup game historically has been a work in progress, and he’s taken some tough losses to fighters nobody considers elite caliber. Because of those defeats, he’s been written off by many despite showing consistent improvement.

Since moving up to Lightweight, Hooper has won three fights. His kickboxing is noticeably sharper, and his punches land with a greater impact. He wrestles at a high rate, and his grappling remains excellent. It all came together last night against Slava Borshchev, as Hooper managed to gain momentum with an early and unexpected knockdown.

He never let up. “The Dream” battered his foe from top position, overwhelming the Russian en route to a second-round d’arce choke. It’s undoubtedly the best win of his career, as well as a reminder that these young up-and-comers can take some losses and return better.

Live By The Sword …

Terrence McKinney doesn’t understand how to have a boring fight.

“T-Wrecks” competed inside the Octagon for the ninth time last night. He’s visited the second round just three times in that span, and one way or another, the large majority have ended via knockout. He’s on the winning side more often than not, and he’s made himself a must-watch Lightweight.

Unfortunately for McKinney, it was Esteban Ribovics who struck first. The two wasted zero time in trading heavy punches, but Ribovics punctuated his combination with a high kick. McKinney never saw it coming and hit the fence unconscious, making for the best win of Ribovics’ career.

For complete UFC St. Louis: “Lewis vs. Nascimento” results and play-by-play, click HERE!