Derrick Lewis strips off shorts, moons crowd in St. Louis after KO win over Rodrigo Nascimento
Lewis picked up the 15th knockout of his UFC career Saturday night
Derrick Lewis has done it again. The celebration that came with his latest knockout, however, is an all-timer.
Lewis pulled off a massive knockout win to beat Rodrigo Nascimento in the third round of their fight at UFC St. Louis on Saturday night. And in true Lewis fashion, his shorts, and briefly his underwear, came off in the middle of the Octagon. Lewis hilariously flashed the crowd at the Enterprise Center during the celebration, and at one point he even took off his cup and chucked it into the crowd to apparently offer it up as a souvenir.
The shorts are off
We repeat, the shorts are OFF‼️#UFCStLouis | @TheBeast_UFC pic.twitter.com/bvSkQCdxq6— UFC (@ufc) May 12, 2024
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) May 12, 2024
“I appreciate St. Louis for letting me show my naked ass tonight,” he said after his win.
The cup was actually caught by someone in the crowd with access to the press conference with Dana White and Lewis. While White seemed hesitant to autograph it, Lewis apparently quickly obliged.
Media member asks Dana White to sign the Derrick Lewis cup he caught.#UFCStLouis pic.twitter.com/NBzXdHMauH
— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) May 12, 2024
Reporter who caught Derrick Lewis' cup at #UFCStLouis tells him it "doesn't smell bad at all." 🤢 pic.twitter.com/btq7RUx0yR
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) May 12, 2024
Lewis came out hot right away. He landed a huge head kick right out of the gate, and then he landed a solid takedown in the opening round. It wasn't until the third round, though, that he made his move.
Not even a minute into the round, Lewis delivered a perfect right-handed blow to Nascimento's head. That sent the 31-year-old Brazilian scrambling on his way down to the mat. The second he fell, it was on.
Lewis landed nearly two dozen more shots before the referee called it. Nascimento didn't stand a chance once he hit the ground, and the celebration in Missouri quickly took off.
Derrick Lewis finishes Rodrigo Nascimento #UFCStLouis pic.twitter.com/iBUJ0YeQbI
— TakeruCigarra (@TakeruCigarra) May 12, 2024
It marked the 15th knockout of Lewis' UFC career, which is the most in the sport's history.
Nascimento, who entered Saturday on a three-fight win streak, now has an 11-2 overall record. The loss was his first since 2020.
Lewis now sits at 28-12 in his career. The 39-year-old entered the night having lost five of his last seven fights, and he hasn't won in back-to-back outings since early 2021.
“I couldn’t let no taxi cab driver from Brazil beat me,” Lewis said. “This is my first time ever hearing of that guy. Ain’t no way I can let somebody out there beat me.”