Athletes
Rodrigo Nascimento Out To Prove He Belongs
Streaking Brazilian Heavyweight Looks To ‘Shock The World’ By Taking Out Derrick Lewis This Weekend
The last time Rodrigo Nascimento made the walk to the Octagon was the first time the Brazilian heavyweight had done so in front of a considerable audience.
The fact that it came at home in Brazil only made the experience even more memorable.
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“Brother, just to think about this I have goosebumps now,” he said, a huge smile arriving on his face as he dialed up the memories of his bout with Don’Tale Mayes in Sao Paulo last November. “I always tell Parrumpa (coach Marcos DaMatta), ‘I don’t know (what it’s like) to fight with an audience’ because I always fight in (closed venues) or the APEX, but it’s a different feeling.
“I remember when I threw the first punch, everybody was crazy. I picked a good song (for my walkout too) — a famous song — and I looked at Parrumpa, and he said, ‘I have goosebumps. I have a good feeling.’ Fighting there is different because when everybody says, ‘Uh Vai Morrer! Uh Vai Morrer!’ This pushes you more because these guys want you to kill your opponent.
“Fighting in Brazil is different,” reiterated Nascimento. “But you have to be smart because if you put too much pressure, you can go down easy, too. You have to find the balance, for sure.”
This weekend, the streaking heavyweight makes his first start of 2024, and for the second straight appearance, he’ll compete in front of a packed house, as he ventures to St. Louis to face off with divisional mainstay and two-time title challenger Derrick Lewis in Saturday night’s main event.
The matchup is the best possible version of what Nascimento asked for following his victory over Mayes, when he stood in the center of the Octagon and lobbied for an opportunity to compete against a Top 15 opponent next time out.
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Getting the call to headline was an unexpected bonus.
“I wanted someone in the Top 15, and I think Derrick Lewis is a good name; the best name,” said the American Top Team product, who earned decision wins over Tanner Boser and Ilir Latifi prior to his second career win over Mayes late last year. “I re-signed my contract, too, so 2024 has been really, really good for me.
“This is a good fight, a tough fight, but it’s a good moment.
“It’s crazy because I think about (the main event) and talk to my head coach, Parrumpa, and say, ‘My event doesn’t have a main event yet; maybe Edson (Barboza) can be there to be a main event? It would be good if we fight the same day.’ I never imagined the UFC would give me a chance to be the main event.”
Barboza did get the call to serve as a headliner and will take on Lerone Murphy the following week in Las Vegas. This weekend, it’s Nascimento whose name is on the marquee and whose face is on the poster.
"When (my manager) called me and said, ‘You’re the main event now,’ I was super-happy,” he added, his smile growing brighter. “The feeling is different, but it’s the best thing. Everybody will know me after this fight.”
Saturday’s matchup highlights a dangerous truth about the heavyweight division, as the main event combatants enter at very different stages of their careers and with vastly different levels of experience inside the Octagon.
For Nascimento, it’s his seventh UFC start after earning a contract with a victory over Michal Martinez on Season 3 of Dana White’s Contender Series in the summer of 2019. For Lewis, it’s his 12th time competing in the main event, and 29th appearance under the promotion’s banner.
“The heavyweight division doesn’t give you too much time to grow, you know?” the Brazilian said, shaking his head and laughing. “You don’t have time to grow in this division — you have to go there and do your thing. You have to go there, finish guys, win your fights.
“Heavyweight is hard because there are so many tough guys. Top 15, it’s just tough guys; there are no ‘easy fights.’”
Lewis is amongst the more difficult tests for an ascending hopeful like Nascimento.
The man with the most knockout wins in UFC history (14) may be entering off a defeat on that same Sao Paulo card where Nascimento bested Mayes for a second time, but he’s still a considerable step up in competition and a dangerous man to be stationed opposite.
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Two fights back, Lewis rolled into UFC 291 on a three-fight slide, positioned as the underdog against another streaking Brazilian, Marcos Rogerio de Lima, who had earned back-to-back wins and victories in four of his previous five.
Lewis finished things in 33 seconds before once again removing his shorts in the center of the cage, much to the delight of the crowd in Salt Lake City.
“Training for five rounds is different — it’s hard; it’s not easy,” began Nascimento, who credits greater discipline and becoming a follower of Islam as two keys to his current run of success. “Now I know why Derrick Lewis says, ‘I don’t like to fight five rounds.’
“I know it’s a hard fight. I know he’s a super-dangerous guy, but I’m happy to share the Octagon with him, because he’s a legend. Everybody loves Derrick Lewis.
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“This is a business; I don’t hate him or nothing,” continued the affable Brazilian, whose nickname “Ze Colmeia” is the Portuguese translation of Yogi Bear, and fitting, given his disposition. “I know he has dreams and a family like I have too, but this is business, and this is for sure my business.
“Sharing the Octagon with him is super-special, but on May 11, I will beat him and get his spot.”
After experiencing fighting in front of a large crowd for the first time last November, Nascimento will do so again this weekend, but this time around, the upwardly minded heavyweight understands the crowd isn’t likely to be on his side.
“I think about this, too,” he said when asked about going from being the one cheered on in Brazil to likely being booed this weekend. “Everyone there is going to yell for Derrick Lewis, but that’s okay to me; I know he’s a legend, I know he deserves this because he’s here for a long time.
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“But it doesn’t matter because I’m going to win this fight.”
Though he’s good natured and quick with a smile, that constant addressing of the importance of this contest, and his certainty that he will be victorious, underscores the increased focus and greater self-belief Nascimento carries with him into this fight.
Most of the time, when you ask an athlete about what comes next after a win, they’ll tell you that their only focus is on the task at hand, and then lay out a five-point plan for how things would ideally progress following a victory.
When I asked Nascimento, his only concern for the future was whether he garnered a Performance of the Night bonus on Saturday or a Fight of the Night bonus, knowing that the latter would mean a little more time on the shelf recuperating.
Outside of that, he was only interested in proving himself this weekend — to both himself and the fans.
“I think you have to prove to yourself you can do many things,” he said. “I’ve beaten many guys in the past, but Derrick Lewis is a super-tough guy. After this fight, after any fight, you will be more confident, you will trust yourself; you know your power — how good, how dangerous you are. After you beat a guy like this, for sure, you grow a lot, brother.
“I’m only thinking about this fight; I’m not thinking about the future,” he added. “Derrick Lewis is my next step, and I’m ready. I’m ready to beat him anywhere. I can fight five rounds. I’m ready to finish him, knock out him.
“I’m ready to shock the world. On May 11, everybody will know my name.”
UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs Nascimento took place live from Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Missouri on May 11, 2024. See the final Prelim and Main Card results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
