Derrick Lewis topped his previous celebrations, but it was also bottoms out Saturday in St. Louis.
Following his UFC on ESPN 56 main event win, Lewis (27-12 MMA, 18-10 UFC) pulled out all of the stops to the thrill of those in attendance at Enterprise Center.
First, Lewis finished Rodrigo Nascimento (11-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) with punches at the 0:49 mark of Round 3. Then, the shorts came off in vintage fashion and he fanned the downed Nascimento with them.
The production team was forced to scramble for a tighter frame as Lewis laid down on the canvas in his underwear to remove his cup, which he then ceremoniously tossed into the media section to one very unlucky reporter.
Both gloves came off and were tossed into the crowd for some lucky fans. Lewis then threatened to remove his underwear, but instead settled for mooning the audience.
“I appreciate St. Louis for letting me show my naked ass tonight,” Lewis said during his post-fight interview.
DERRICK LEWIS TOOK OFF HIS SHORTS AFTER THE KO 🤣 #UFCSTLOUIS pic.twitter.com/btLgiDk2ap
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) May 12, 2024
He's not gonna… he's not gonna…
HE DID 😭🍑 #UFCStLouis pic.twitter.com/RPWB8VoTRS
— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) May 12, 2024
When the wins come, so do the celebrations. Saturday’s win was his second in three fights. It didn’t come without some struggled. Nascimento presented some problems with Lewis in the clinch and on the ground, but ultimately a big overhand right and follow-up punches sealed the deal.
Nascimento had a three-fight winning streak snapped with the loss.
Up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN 56 results include:
- Derrick Lewis def. Rodrigo Nascimento via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 0:49
- Joaquin Buckley def. Nursulton Ruziboev via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 29-27)
- Carlos Ulberg def. Alonzo Menifield via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 0:12
- Diego Ferreira def. Mateusz Rebecki via TKO (strikes) – Round 3, 4:51
- Sean Woodson def. Alex Caceres via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
- Waldo Cortes-Acosta def. Robelis Despaigne via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
- Chase Hooper def. Viacheslav Borshchev via submission (D’Arce choke) – Round 2, 3:00
- Esteban Ribovics def. Terrance McKinney via knockout (head kick) – Round 1, 0:37
- Tabatha Ricci def. Tecia Pennington via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Trey Waters def. Billy Goff via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
- Charles Johnson def. Jake Hadley via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Veronica Hardy def. JJ Aldrich via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 56.
