Matches To Make After UFC St. Louis

UFC St. Louis went down last night (Sat., May 11, 2024), which featured a Heavyweight bout that saw Derrick Lewis return to his winning ways be scoring a knockout win over Rodrigo Nascimento (highlights here). In the co-headlining bout, Joaquin Buckley earned an impressive and dominant unanimous decision win over rising contender, Nursulton Ruziboev.

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Winner: Derrick Lewis

Who He Should Face Next: Jairzinho Rozenstruik

I have been calling for this fight for the longest time, and it’s about time UFC matchmakers give fight fans what they want. Both men have some of the heaviest hands in the business and it’s one of those fights that just can’t disappoint. Rozenstruik is coming off a TKO win over Shamil Gaziev, so let’s get this one going once and for all.

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Winner: Joaquin Buckley

Who He Should Face Next: Gilbert Burns

Buckley is really starting to come into his own, securing his fourth straight win in “The Mound City.” He will likely be cracking the Top 10 come next week, and a fight against Burns sounds like a fun one. “Durinho” has seen better days because he is currently on a two-fight losing streak and is coming off a beat down at the hands of Jack Della Maddalena. That said, he is a former title contender and is ranked No. 6 in the division.

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Winner: Carlos Ulberg

Who He Should Face Next: Anthony Smith

Ulberg stormed out of the gates to secure himself a $50,000 post-fight bonus award winning knockout over Alonzo Menifield in 12 seconds (see it here), his sixth win in a row. Last week, I suggested Anthony Smith — who defeated Vitor Petrino at UFC 301 — face the winner of this matchup, and now I like it even more. Smith is currently ranked No. 10 and after Ulberg dusted Menifield (No. 11), they will be very close in the rankings in a few days.

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Winner: Carlos Diego Ferreira

Who He Should Face Next: Drakkar Klose

Ferreira secured his second straight knockout win — and “Performance of the Night” — by battering Mateusz Rębecki into oblivion (see the carnage here). Ferreira is a longtime veteran who has faced some of the best UFC has to offer. As for Klose, he won his fourth straight fight by defeating Joaquim Silva on the undercard of UFC 301, putting him at 9-2 sor far for his UFC career.

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Winner: Sean Woodson

Who He Should Face Next: Bryce Mitchell

Woodson called for Mitchell after dominating Alex Caceres, and it’s a fight that could become a reality. Woodson has been on a tear since entering the UFC ranks, collecting a 6-1-1 record. He may very well crack the Top 15 come next week while Mitchell (No. 12) is 1-2 in his last three fights. If Woodson can hand “Thug Nasty” his second straight defeat, it will set him up for bigger fights moving forward.

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Winner: Waldo Cortes-Acosta

Who He Should Face Next: Serghei Spivac

After derailing the hype train that is Robelis Despaigne, Cortes-Acosta finds himself the owner of a three-fight win streak. “Salsa Boy” is 5-1 overall inside the Octagon and is making great strides toward a Top 15 spot. A fight against a veteran like Spivac sounds like a fun bout. Spivac had his three-fight win streak snapped at the hands of Ciryl Gane in Sept. 2023. Prior to that Spivac was 6-1 in his last seven fights.

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For more UFC St. Louis results, coverage, and highlights click HERE.