Most fights on Saturday’s UFC St. Louis card went the distance, but the five stoppages were pretty memorable. As expected, the fighters who won by stoppage took home most of the bonuses.
There were two insane first-round KO victories on the night, but only one landed a bonus.
Carlos Ulberg
It took Carlos Ulberg just 12 seconds to defeat Alonzo Menifield on the main card. Menifield’s game plan to rush Black Jag backfired. Ulberg, who has won two fights in the UFC already with his vicious left hook, landed the bomb on Menifield and ultimately finished his foe in the third-fastest KO in promotional history.
Here is a look at the finish.
Ulberg’s victory pushed his professional record to 11-1. He is 6-1 in the UFC and has won six straight fights. The victory should land Ulberg in the Top 15, as Menifield came into the fight ranked No. 11.
Ulberg is also $50,000 richer as he took home one of the night’s performance bonuses.
Diego Ferreira
Buzzer-beater KOs are always exciting. Diego Ferreira delivered the latest with his exciting finish Mateusz Rębecki.
Ferreira’s choice to go for the finish was a daring move. He was winning on all three judges’ scorecards and could have coasted. However, Ferreira went the extra mile to put a stamp on his performance and secure the TKO from strikes to his opponent.
The victory improved Ferreira’s record to 19-5. He has now won two straight fights after enduring a three-fight losing streak.
Trey Waters vs. Billy Ray Goff – Fight of the Night
Ferreira’s choice to go for the finish was a daring move. He was winning on all three judges’ scorecards and could have coasted. However, Ferreira went the extra mile to put a stamp on his performance and secure the TKO from strikes to his opponent.
The victory not only improved Ferreira’s record to an impressive 19-5, but also marked a significant turning point in his career. After enduring a challenging three-fight losing streak, he has now emerged victorious in two straight fights.
The matchup was action-packed, with Waters using his sizable reach advantage to get the better of Goff on the judges’ scorecards. Waters won a unanimous decision, but some believe Goff may have been robbed by the judges.
Goff’s toughness and persistent attack kept him competitive, but in the end, the judges favored Waters’ strikes to the head over his opponent’s body attack.
In any case, both men took home $50,000 for their efforts.
We saw Derrick Lewis stop Rodrigo Nascimento in the final round of the main event. Lewis came through with the big shots he’s become famous for landing. Despite the finish, a raucous crowd reaction, and a memorable celebration, Lewis didn’t get one of the official bonuses.
We also saw a devastating first-round finish from Esteban Ribovics against Terrance McKinney. This head-kick KO was one of the nastiest finishes you’ll ever see, but Ribovics didn’t win a bonus.
Here is a look at all of the results from St. Louis.
- Main Event: Derrick Lewis defeats Rodrigo Nascimento by TKO at :49 of Round 3
- Co-Main Event: Joaquin Buckley (30-27, 30-26, 29-27) defeats Nursulton Ruziboev by unanimous decision
- Carlos Ulberg defeats Alonzo Menifield by KO at :12 of Round 1
- Diego Ferreira defeats Mateusz Rębecki by TKO (strikes) at 4:59 of Round 3
- Sean Woodson (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) defeats Alex Caceres by unanimous decision
- Waldo Cortes Acosta (30-27, 30-27, 30-26) defeats Robelis Despaigne by unanimous decision
- Chase Hooper defeats Viacheslav Borshchev by submission (D’Arce choke) at 3:00 of Round 2
- Esteban Ribovics defeats Terrance McKinney by KO at 1:35 of Round 1
- Tabatha Ricci (29-28, 29-28) defeats Tecia Pennington (29-28) by split decision
- Trey Waters (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) defeats Billy Ray Goff by unanimous decision
- Charles Johnson (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) defeats Jake Hadley by unanimous decision
- Veronica Hardy (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) defeats JJ Aldrich by unanimous decision
