2 weeks agoRodrigo Nascimento suffered a third-round knockout loss to Derrick Lewis in the main event of UFC St. Louis. Nascimento entered the bout as the underdog and early on, the Brazilian had success. He went 1-for-1 on takedowns in the first round and had over two minutes of control. He followed that up with 2:09 of control time in the second round. However, Nascimento started to fade and less than a minute into the third round, he got caught by a right hand that knocked him out. With the loss, Nascimento is 11-2 and one No Contest and is 4-2 and one NC in the UFC with both of his losses by knockout.
--Cole SheltonSource: UFC
2 weeks agoDerrick Lewis scored a third-round knockout win over Rodrigo Nascimento in the main event of UFC St. Louis on Saturday. Lewis entered the fight as the betting favorite and right away, it appeared he had rocked Nascimento. However, Lewis was controlled for 2:37 of the first round and was controlled for over two minutes in the second round. As it looked like the fight was getting away from him, Lewis landed a massive overhand right that dropped Nascimento, and he finished him off via ground and pound 49 seconds into the third round. With the win, Lewis is now 28-12 and 1 No Contest and is 19-10 in the UFC.
--Cole SheltonSource: UFC
3 weeks agoNursulton Ruziboev (34-8-2) is set to face Joaquin Buckley in the co-main event of UFC St. Louis on Saturday. Ruziboev is on a 10-fight win streak and has won both of his fights in the UFC, defeating Brunno Ferreira and Sedriques Dumas. For this fight, Ruziboev will drop to welterweight. DraftKings sees Ruziboev as the underdog with a salary of $7,500. Throughout his UFC career (two bouts), he averages 101.2 fantasy points per contest.
--Alen Kurbasic - RotoBallerSource: UFC
3 weeks agoFresh off the biggest win of his career over Vicente Luque, Joaquin Buckley is set for a bout against Nursulton Ruziboev. The fight was a short-notice booking for both men. Buckley has looked great since moving down to welterweight and has defeated Andre Fialho, Alex Morono, and Luque. DraftKings sees Buckley as the favorite with a salary of $8,700. Throughout his UFC career (12 bouts), he averages 66.9 fantasy points per contest. Buckley thoroughly deserved a high-profile name after knocking out Luque but instead received someone just as dangerous.
--Alen Kurbasic - RotoBallerSource: UFC
3 weeks agoOn the main card of UFC St. Louis, a light-heavyweight bout is set between Carlos Ulberg and Alonzo Menifield. Ulberg was set to take on former title challenger Dominick Reyes in January before Ulberg was forced to withdraw due to an injury. The fight was rescheduled but fell through again, only this time, it was Reyes who was forced to withdraw. Menifield steeped up to face Ulberg but Menifield needed more time to prepare, so the fight was moved to 11th May. DraftKings sees Ulberg as the favorite with a salary of $9,300. Throughout his UFC career (six bouts), he averages 90.5 fantasy points per contest. If Ulberg wins this fight, he will extend his win streak to six.
--Alen Kurbasic - RotoBallerSource: UFC
3 weeks agoAlonzo Menifield (15-3-1) will be looking to defend his spot in the rankings as he takes on Carlos Ulberg on the main card of UFC St. Louis. Menifield has been looking great since 2022, winning four of his past five fights. DraftKings sees Menifield as the underdog with a salary of $6,900. Throughout his UFC career of 12 bouts, he averages 76.0 fantasy points per contest. He may not be the best technician, but he has the ability to threaten Ulberg with his power and ability to close the distance suddenly.
--Alen Kurbasic - RotoBallerSource: UFC
3 weeks agoA featherweight bout pitting Sean Woodson against Alex Caceres is set for UFC St. Louis on Saturday. Woodson (11-1-1) will enter the Octagon on a four-fight unbeaten streak, most recently winning via split decision against Charles Jourdain at UFC 297. DraftKings sees Woodson as the favorite with a salary of $9,100. Throughout his UFC career of seven bouts, he averages 76.0 fantasy points per contest. Much like his opponent, Woodson boasts a commendable striking defense at 58%.
--Alen Kurbasic - RotoBallerSource: UFC
3 weeks agoAlex Caceres (21-14) is set to face off against Sean Woodson on the main card of UFC St. Louis on Saturday. Caceres continues to look great up until he faces the upper echelon. In his last two fights, he defeated Daniel Pineda to earn a "Fight of the Night" bonus, and then, he lost to Giga Chikadze by a unanimous decision. He had won seven of the previous eight bouts, with two "Fight of the Night" bonuses. DraftKings sees Caceres as the underdog with a salary of $7,100. Throughout his UFC career (29 bouts), he averages 55.9 fantasy points per contest. This should be a very fun scrap between two lanky strikers.
--Alen Kurbasic - RotoBallerSource: UFC
3 weeks agoWaldo Cortes-Acosta (11-1) is set to open the UFC St. Louis main card against Robelis Despaigne. Cortes-Acosta is coming off a decision win over Andrei Arlovski back in January after scoring a first-round knockout win over Lukasz Brzeski. Cortes-Acosta enters the bout as the underdog as DraftKings has him at a salary of $7,200. In the UFC, Cortes-Acosta is 4-1 with three wins by decision while his lone loss came by decision. If Cortes-Acosta can pull off the upset he should get a ranked opponent next time out.
--Cole SheltonSource: UFC
3 weeks agoRobelis Despaigne (5-0) is set for his second UFC fight as he faces Waldo Cortes-Acosta in the main card opener of UFC St. Louis. Despaigne is coming off an 18-second knockout win back in March in his UFC debut. The Cuban heavyweight has won all five of his fights by first-round KO with four of them coming in 18 seconds or less. Despaigne enters UFC St. Louis as the favorite as DraftKings has him at a salary of $9,000. If Despaigne gets another KO win here, he could get a ranked opponent next time out.
--Cole SheltonSource: UFC
3 weeks agoMateusz Rebecki (19-1) is set to take on Diego Ferreira at UFC St. Louis on Saturday. Rebecki is a perfect 3-0 in the UFC and is coming off a submission win over Roosevelt Roberts last November. The Pole is on a 16-fight winning streak and enters his bout with Ferreira as a big favorite as DraftKings has him at a salary of $9,400. Rebecki has won two of his three fights in the UFC by stoppage, and should he get past Ferreira a ranked opponent could be next.
--Cole SheltonSource: UFC
3 weeks agoDiego Ferreira (18-5) is set to face Mateusz Rebecki on Saturday on the main card of UFC St. Louis. Ferreira is coming off a knockout win over Michael Johnson last May which snapped his three-fight losing streak. Heading into this fight, Ferreira is a big underdog as DraftKings has the Brazilian at a salary of $6,800. In the UFC, Ferreira is 9-5 with six wins by stoppage while he's been finished in three of his five losses. If he can pull off the upset and beat Rebecki, Ferreira could get a top-15 opponent next time out.
--Cole SheltonSource: UFC
3 weeks agoRodrigo Nascimento (11-1, one no-contest) is set for his first UFC main event on Saturday as he takes on Derrick Lewis at UFC St. Louis. Nascimento is on a three-fight winning streak and a four-fight unbeaten streak while also picking up a no-contest during the run. Although Nascimento is on a nice run, he is the underdog, as DraftKings has him at a salary of $7,800. In the UFC, the Brazilian is 4-1 with a no-contest, with three of his wins coming by decision, while his lone loss came by first-round knockout. Should Nascimento win, he will get a top-10 opponent next time out.
--Cole SheltonSource: UFC
3 weeks agoDerrick Lewis (27-12, one no-contest) is set to headline UFC St. Louis against Rodrigo Nascimento on Saturday. Lewis is coming off a lackluster decision loss to Jailton Almeida back in November and is 1-4 in his last five fights. Despite the struggles, Lewis is the favorite, as DraftKings has him at a salary of $8,400. In the UFC, Lewis is 18-10, with 14 wins by knockout, while he has been finished in nine of his 10 losses. A win over Nascimento should get Lewis a top-10 opponent as he looks to remain a title contender.
--Cole SheltonSource: UFC
3 weeks agoAlexandre Pantoja remained the flyweight champion after defeating Steve Erceg via unanimous decision in the main event of UFC 301 on Saturday. The first three rounds were extremely close but leaned toward Pantoja, while Erceg dominated the fourth round. With less than two minutes remaining, Erceg went for a takedown, but Pantoja quickly reversed and landed on top, closing the fight with some ground-and-pound. In 25 minutes of back-and-forth action, Pantoja landed nine takedowns and 125 significant strikes. Pantoja is the first champion since Demetrious Johnson was the inaugural champion actually to defend the title twice with victories in both bouts.
--Alen Kurbasic - RotoBallerSource: UFC
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