The formula to fighting Derrick Lewis is tried and true: ground him or else.
It took Lewis three rounds to land a ticking time bomb that stopped Rodrigo Nascimento in the main event of UFC Fight Night on Saturday. The only thing wilder than the finish was Lewis’ post-fight antics.
Saturday’s headliners engaged in an exhausting battle of clinch fighting and wrestling for the first two rounds. Lewis’ dedication to wrestling spurred his corner to remind him what the gameplan was — KO Nascimento. Lewis landed a one-two early in Round 3 that had Nascimento doing the chicken dance. A barrage of follow-up strikes forced the stoppage.
The finish was elevated by an unhinged post-fight celebration. Lewis took off his fight trunks and fanned Nascimento with them. He subsequently pulled down his underwear to briefly moon the St. Louis crowd.
“I appreciate St. Louis for letting me show my naked ass,” Lewis said during his post-fight interview.
Lewis improved to 28-12 (1 NC) as a professional mixed martial arts. More impressively, he extended his record for most UFC KOs to 15. Nascimento suffered the second defeat in his 14-fight pro career.
