Preview: UFC on ESPN 56 ‘Lewis vs. Nascimento’

Lightweights

Mateusz Rebecki (19-1, 3-0 UFC) vs. Diego Ferreira (18-5, 9-5 UFC)

ODDS: Rebecki (-310), Ferreira (+250)

Rebecki lurks as a dark horse contender in the UFC’s deep lightweight division. Poland’s “Rebeasti” was already well-tested prior to his showing up on the Contender Series in 2022, so it wasn’t a shock when he ran through his competition to earn a contract and then hit the ground running once he was on the UFC’s roster. A bowling ball of muscle, Rebecki gets by on durability and pressure, but he’s far from a fighter who relies on brute force. He might actually be at his best as a wrestler and grappler, and he sets that up with a surprisingly crafty striking game that packs a ton of power. In retrospect, it’s a bit of a shock that his UFC debut win over Nick Fiore went to a decision, given that he mostly ran through Loik Radzhabov and Roosevelt Roberts in his subsequent two fights. Rebecki’s main issue in 2024 has been getting into the cage, as he’s already had two fights fall through. This bout against Ferreira is a late addition to the card, and we can only hope it actually comes through.

Ferreira made his UFC debut in 2014 and spent most of the next half-decade as one of the promotion’s most underrated fighters. A versatile and dangerous fighter, the Brazilian chugged along while winning a whole lot more than he lost, up until a one-sided win over Anthony Pettis in 2020. That felt like a long-overdue breakthrough for Ferreira at the time, but in retrospect, it might have been more of a last hurrah as Ferreira has entered his late 30s. Ferreira’s had a few injury layoffs in the time since, as he hasn’t shown the relentlessness that’s marked a lot of his career. A 2021 loss to Beneil Dariush in a grappling-heavy affair is quite understandable, but Ferreira’s next two losses saw him run out of gas against Gregor Gillespie and suffer a fight-ending rib injury against Mateusz Gamrot. Ferreira rebounded with a win over Michael Johnson about a year ago. Even that was a mixed bag, as he accomplished little up until the point that he suddenly starched Johnson with a knockout punch. That shows that Ferreira is still dangerous, but this still looks like a fight where Rebecki can find his breaking point through pace and pressure. The pick is Rebecki via second-round stoppage.

Jump To »
Lewis vs. Nascimento
Buckley vs. Ruziboev
Ulberg vs. Menifield
Rebecki vs. Ferreira
Woodson vs. Caceres
Despaigne vs. Cortes-Acosta
The Prelims