Matches To Make After UFC St. Louis

UFC St. Louis went down last night (Sat., May 11, 2024) inside Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Mo., featuring a Heavyweight bout that saw Derrick Lewis return to his winning ways thanks to a knockout win over Rodrigo Nascimento (highlights here). In the co-headlining bout, Joaquin Buckley earned a dominant unanimous decision win over rising contender, Nursulton Ruziboev.

Winner: Derrick Lewis
Who He Should Face Next: Jairzinho Rozenstruik

I have been calling for this fight forever … and it’s about time UFC matchmakers give fight fans what I 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 technical knockout win over Shamil Gaziev, so let’s get this one going once and for all.

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 “Mound City.” He will likely crack 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 currently ranked No. 6 in the division.

Winner: Carlos Ulberg
Who He Should Face Next: Anthony Smith

Ulberg stormed out of the gates, securing a $50,000 post-fight bonus award for his 12-second knockout over Alonzo Menifield (see it here), his sixth straight win. 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.

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 Rebecki into oblivion (see the carnage here). Ferreira is a long-time 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 so far in his UFC career.

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 UFC’s 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.

UFC Fight Night: Cortes-Acosta v Despaigne

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.

HERE.