The third Contender Series alum and first to hit the cage on Saturday is Nascimento, a 27-year-old Brazilian heavyweight with a perfect 7-0 mark, who takes on fellow Contender Series grad Don’Tale Mayes.
Nascimento spent nearly two years on the sidelines prior to his appearance in Las Vegas last summer, but the time off didn’t seem to have an impact on the native of Belo Horizonte though, as he strolled into the Octagon and submitted unbeaten Czech heavyweight Michal Martinek in a little over three minutes.
Standing six-foot-three and brandishing an 80-inch reach, Nascimento has intriguing size and length for the division to go along with the grappling skills he displayed last summer. Though he didn’t face much high-level competition prior to his bout with Martinek, the Brazilian has done what any hopeful needs to do in those situations, handling his business without any miscues and keeping things moving forward at all times.
This matchup with Mayes will be a solid test for the undefeated UFC newcomer as “Lord Kong” is a hulking figure who will have a three-inch height advantage, one-and-a-half-inch reach advantage and has flashed menacing power at times. Though he’s coming off a loss, Mayes showed improved conditioning in that bout with rising star Ciryl Gane and had won four straight prior to that setback.
If Nascimento can maintain his winning ways and score another stoppage victory, he’ll put himself on the list of fighters to watch in the heavyweight division as the UFC ramps up its schedule in the second half of 2020.
