Monster Energy congratulates MMA athlete Derrick Lewis on defeating Rodrigo Nascimento at the UFC Fight Night in
St. Louis.
ST.
LOUIS, May 12, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- What a
finish! Monster Energy congratulates MMA athlete Derrick Lewis on defeating Rodrigo Nascimento at the UFC Fight Night in
St. Louis. In the event's headline
fight contested in the UFC's heavyweight division, the 39-year-old
mixed martial artist from Houston,
Texas, delivered a thunderous knockout finish less than one
minute into Round 3 to extend his record as the all-time knockout
leader in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs Nascimento, also known as UFC on ESPN
56, was contested in front of a live crowd of 15,960 spectators at
the Enterprise Center in St. Louis,
Missouri. With six fights on the Main Card and seven fights
on the Preliminary Card, the event was broadcast live to fans on
the ESPN+ platform.
Monster Energy's Lewis (28-12) came to St. Louis looking for redemption after
suffering a loss to Jailton Almeida
in the headline fight at UFC Fight Night in Sao Paulo in November
2023. Nicknamed 'The Black Beast,' Lewis is an eleven-year
UFC veteran and holds the record for most knockout wins in UFC
history. Saturday's fight against a young opponent marked his
twelfth UFC headline bout.
Lewis' opponent was Rodrigo
Nascimento (11-2) from Belo
Horizonte, Brazil. Stepping into his first UFC headline
fight, the grappling expert was riding a three-fight win streak
after most recently defeating Don'Tale Mayes at UFC Fight Night:
Almeida vs. Lewis in November
2023.
The pressure was high from the start when the two heavyweights
collided inside the Octagon. Lewis attacked the Brazilian with fast
kicks and punch combos, as Nascimento fired back with kicks and
takedown attempts. After absorbing punishing elbows and knees to
the body, Nascimento landed a takedown, and the two fighters ended
the round grappling on the ground.
The second round opened with a clean right hook courtesy of
Lewis before pushing Nascimento into the corner with follow-up
punches. The two exchanged jabs and kicks, but it was Lewis doing
more damage by finding openings for elbows and heavy punch
combinations. In the final moments of Round 2, Lewis found himself
taken down by the Brazilian, again finishing the round defending
against Nascimento on his back. Ultimately, Lewis was not going to
let that happen again…
Stepping into Round 3, Lewis came out swinging. Looking to shut
his opponent down once and for all with powerful strikes, the
'Black Beast' had the Brazilian on the defense. Until a
supercharged one-two combo landed and rocked Nascimento to his
knees. From there, it was all over quickly as Lewis rained hammer
punches on his stunned opponent from above until referee
Jason Herzog called a stop to the
contest at 0:49 minutes of Round 3.
Pronounced the winner by knockout, Lewis engaged the crowd in a
victory parade in classic style. The brutal finish extends Lewis'
record for most knockouts in UFC history to 15 KO's.
"I couldn't let no taxicab driver from Brazil beat me," said Monster Energy's Lewis
after the fight, adding: "This is my first time ever hearing of
that guy. Ain't no way I can let somebody out there beat me."
Stay tuned for more now that Lewis is back in the victory
column!
Derrick Lewis counts amongst
Monster Energy's elite UFC athletes along with Kamaru Usman,
Jon Jones, Chris Weidman, Rose Namajunas, Marlon Vera, Michael
Chandler, Justin Gaethje,
Yair Rodriguez, Jessica-Rose Clark, Valentina Shevchenko,
Brandon Moreno, Daniel Rodriguez, Punahele Soriano, Gilbert Burns, Giga Chikadze, Islam Makhachev,
Johnny Walker, Beneil Dariush,
Gaston Bolanos, Brendan Allen, Jalin
Turner, Sean Strickland,
Zhang Weili, Raul Rosas Jr., Dan
Ige, Diego Lopes, Alex Pereira, Daniel
Zellhuber, Belal Muhammad and
Cameron Saaiman.
For more on Monster Energy's MMA athletes, visit
http://www.monsterenergy.com. Follow Monster Energy on YouTube,
Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok.
About Monster Energy
Based in Corona, California,
Monster Energy is the leading marketer of energy drinks and
alternative beverages. Refusing to acknowledge the traditional,
Monster Energy supports the scene and sport. Whether motocross,
off-road, NASCAR, MMA, BMX, surf, snowboard, ski, skateboard, or
the rock and roll lifestyle, Monster Energy is a brand that
believes in authenticity and the core of what its sports, athletes,
and musicians represent. More than a drink, it's the way of life
lived by athletes, sports, bands, believers, and fans. See more
about Monster Energy including all of its drinks at
http://www.monsterenergy.com.
Media Contact
Kimberly Paige Dresser, Indie
Agency, Inc., (949) 300-5546, kim.dresser@indiepragency.com,
https://www.indiepragency.com
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SOURCE Monster Energy