Early UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs Nascimento Predictions
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Vladislav Tchakarov
The UFC returns to St. Louis for the first time in six years with a stacked Fight Night and a heavyweight main event to end it all. There is no way this card will disappoint. Here are our early Lewis vs Nascimento predictions.
UFC on ESPN 56: Main Card bouts to look out for
A solid percentage of fans hate it when the main event is a heavyweight bout. There is a good reason for that – heavyweight scraps usually end in the first or second rounds.
We all love a knockout but waiting for the main event for five hours only to have it end in 3 minutes often feels disappointing.
But we all love a Derrick Lewis fight, right?
Lewis vs Nascimento: Rodrigo Is Not a Typical Heavyweight
There probably isn't a man alive on the planet that Derrick can't knock out if he gets a clean shot. The problem is that such chances have become scarce and Lewis lost five of his last seven bouts.
Nascimento is the new kid on the block, eight years younger, with four times fewer professional fights, and a bright future. The only curious fact about Nascimento is that he is not exactly a distinguished finisher. His last three UFC bouts ended with decisions.
The only reason we expect a fast bout is Derrick Lewis and we love the odds for the submission market. Unfortunately, we have to go against “The Black Beast” for our Lewis vs Nascimento predictions.
Buckley vs Ruziboev: The Most Exciting Bout on this Card
You know you have a problem on your hands when you see a 30-year-old Uzbek with 46 professional matches. Nursulton Ruziboev finally made his UFC debut in 2023 and already won twice since then. With 34 wins on his record, you can't neglect his power.
Ruziboev has been handed an opportunity to enter the Top 15 in just three fights but he has to beat the seasoned Joaquin Buckley. The St. Louis native has regained his confidence after three incredible wins in a row.
We are familiar with Ruziboev and we know that he is a monster. He won his last ten fights with 1st-round finishes. Ten in a row and those were his ten toughest fights too. Both fighters are finishers, albeit having the complete opposite fighting styles.
Buckley will be pumped to perform in front of his home crowd but we can't confidently give him our confidence. We have to pick the “Fight Will Not Reach Distance” option for our UFC on ESPN 56 predictions.
Acosta vs Despaigne: 5 Knockouts in 5 Minutes and 30 Seconds
The whole world will soon hear about Robelis Despaigne. This Cuban heavyweight made the headlines in March when he knocked out Josh Parisian in 18 seconds on his UFC debut.
In fact, Robelis Despaigne has only five fights on his record and he won all five by KO/TKO. He spent exactly 37 seconds on the stage for his last four fights COMBINED. These include knockouts in 18, 4, 3, and 12 seconds.
Waldo-Cortes Acosta is in a similar position. He has been in the UFC since late 2022 and won four of his five fights. He is a talented man and has a bright future but we feel like this fight will be a setback for him.
Perhaps we are overconfident that Despaigne will win here but the KO odds are too good and we have to pick this market for our early Lewis vs Nascimento predictions.
UFC on ESPN: Lewis vs Nascimento Prelims Predictions
The last few Fight Night cards were slightly disappointing. This one will be different and there are a bunch of incredible bouts on the undercard. While most are bet-worthy, we only picked a couple.
Hooper vs Borshchev: Bookies Made a Mistake
Viacheslav is one of the few Russian fighters on the roster that do not look particularly impressive. His fights are always exciting and usually end way ahead of schedule but skillwise, he is not as good. He is an excellent striker but he offers nothing on the ground.
His opponent is the complete opposite. Hooper is a solid wrestler but clueless on his feet. The important facts here are that Hooper has the advantage in anthropometry and age. There is even a chance that he could outstrike Borshchev due to the 13-centimeter advantage in the armspan.
And for some reason, Hooper is a solid underdog. There is no way we can miss this opportunity and not pick the American for our Lewis vs Nascimento predictions.
McKinney vs Ribovics: Will Five Minutes Be Enough?
Terrance McKinney's longest fight in the UFC was about 7 minutes and some seconds. He is the epitome of entertainment, regardless if he wins or loses. He has never had a complete fight, so the early finish should be guaranteed, especially against a fighter like Esteban Ribovics.
The Argentinian has had a similar career – 13 fights, only two decisions. And for a strange reason, he is a solid favorite ahead of this bout. It is true that McKinney is not really consistent and you never know if he will win confidently or go to sleep.
For this reason, we simply have to go for the under 2.5 rounds market as the last of our Lewis vs Nascimento predictions.
Vlad is a former amateur MMA fighter. After a series of injuries, he found a different way to connect with the sport and its fanbase - through writing. He's been covering everything-UFC for over 5 years on various platforms and has been part of the team at NYFights since early 2022.
