Rodrigo Nascimento is extremely confident heading into his UFC St Louis clash with Derrick Lewis.
The Brazilian faces what is arguably his biggest test of his career thus far when he takes on 39 fight veteran, Lewis, inside the Enterprise Center on Saturday night.
The heavyweights will battle out over 5 rounds in the main event of the 13 bout Fight Night, with the victor looking to take a step closer to breaking into the top 10 of the 265lbs division. The bout will also mark Nascimento’s first main event slot. Addressing the media pre-fight, ‘Ze Comeia’ discussed the momentous occasion and whilst excited to face such a big name in the form of Lewis, he is also eager to add his name to the list of surging Heavyweights currently competing in the promotion.
“Like I think I always the next fight is the biggest one. This fight will be a big fight and a big step in my career. After this Saturday, everyone's gonna know my name, I will beat him.”
Although supremely confident in his own skillset, Nascimento is certainly not overlooking the task that lies before him on Saturday night and is well aware of the challenges Lewis posts. He said:
“I think he is unpredictable. He's super dangerous you know, he has hands, but he's a complete fighter. I know this, I watch his fights. He knows how to put someone down. He can strike. He can fake, he's a complete fighter for sure.”
Lewis is known for his devastating knock out power, finishing 22 of his 27 winning bouts by way of KO/TKO. The thought of that could be daunting for many but Nascimento wholeheartedly believes he possesses the power to land Lewis on the wrong side of a big finish. The 31 year old is so confident in his ability, he believes he will have the upper hand in the contest, no matter where it goes. He said:
“So I have many ways to beat him, you know, like putting it on the ground is just one more way, you know, like I can I can strike and, you know, I can knock him out. I can finish him or I can fight the five rounds.” He continued.
“I'm ready to do everything there. You know, I can fight five rounds. I can finish him, you know, I will find some way to beat him.”
You can watch the full pre-fight media day interview, below:
