This week’s UFC Fight Night is out of the UFC Apex and into the Enterprise Center in St. Louis. That means no mediocre middleweight main event! Yippee! However, we get a heavyweight main event instead. Sigh. But Derrick Lewis is in it! Yippee! Here are my UFC St. Louis predictions and best bets.
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UFC St. Louis Predictions & Best Bets
Derrick Lewis (-145) vs. Rodrigo Nascimento
Derrick Lewis is a favorite in a main event fight in 2024 despite losing four of his last five fights, including his last appearance. I don’t know if this speaks to Lewis’s ever-present lights-out power in the cage or to the limits of opponent Rodrigo Nascimento’s game. Either way, I’m taking Lewis in this fight.
It’s that aforementioned knockout power that is the deciding factor here. Lewis is the hardest hitter in the UFC now that Francis Ngannou is no longer under their umbrella. If Nascimento grapples Lewis he would have a better chance at winning, but he’s gone away from wrestling in his past couple of fights. He’s going to stand and trade for too long with Lewis and get his lights turned out.
Nursulton Ruziboev (+140) vs. Joaquin Buckley
I’m going with an underdog in the welterweight co-main event, taking Nursulton Ruziboev, winner of 10 straight, over the also-surging Joaquin Buckley.
Ruziboev is a giant for a 170-pounder and will tower seven inches over Buckley. He’s also an extremely well-rounded finisher, with 12 knockouts and 20 submissions in 34 pro wins. To beat him, you have to be a very good wrestler, which Buckley is not.
Carlos Ulberg (-250) vs. Alonzo Menifield
Light heavyweight Alonzo Menifield has a sneaky good resume, sporting a 15-3-1 record and a 4-0-1 record over his last five fights in the UFC. However, I’m still picking him to lose to Carlos Ulberg.
Ulberg was a very experienced kickboxer before transitioning to MMA. After a slip-up early in his UFC career, he has reeled off five straight wins, the last four via finish. His striking is on another level, and Menifield will probably be willing to engage him on the feet.
Robelis Despaigne (-190) vs. Waldo Cortes-Acosta
Robelis Despaigne is such an exciting prospect at heavyweight. Unfortunately, he’s already 35 years old and is only 5-0 (all knockouts) as a professional mixed martial artist. He was busy beforehand, winning an Olympic bronze medal in taekwondo.
For his second UFC fight, the promotion is giving him a slight step up in competition. As is the pattern with my picks here, Waldo Cortes-Acosta isn’t a grappler, so he’s going to stand and trade with ‘The Big Boy’ and get knocked out.
Tabatha Ricci (-130) vs. Tecia Pennington
Tecia Pennington (nee Torres) makes her return to the octagon after over two years out of the cage being busy becoming a mother. And it’s been even longer since she’s had her hand raised in victory – August 2021.
All that said, we’re getting a great line on Pennington’s opponent, Tabatha Ricci. ‘Baby Shark’ is six years younger than Pennington and is a very strong grappler. I like her to win via decision if you want an even better line.
If you’d like even more information on UFC St. Louis, be sure to check out the MMA Gambling Podcast. The guys are dropping five episodes weekly to make you the smartest guy at the bar.
