SUMMARY
- Mateusz Rebecki suffered a brutal loss to Diego Ferreira at UFC St. Louis.
- Afterward, UFC commentator John Anik asked the fans to show support for the Polish fighter.
UFC St. Louis has just wrapped up and what an event we’ve had. One of the rare occasions wherein a fight night card has taken place outside of the UFC APEX, the fans were all for it. Amidst all the hype and celebrations, a lot of attention has seemingly been put on Mateusz Rebecki.
Coming into the UFC’s first visit to St. Louis in a long time, the main talking points were around UFC heavyweight and KO record holder Derrick Lewis, and hometown hero Joaquin Buckley. On the night, the two fighters received the loudest pops from the crowd, and for good reason. That said, the crowd itself was quite phenomenal throughout the entirety of the card, cheering hard for every fighter that made the walk.
We’ve got another lightweight battle for you! 👊@DiegoUFCTX vs @RebeckiMateusz
[ LIVE NOW on @ESPNPlus & @ESPN | #UFCStLouis ] pic.twitter.com/qRcwZufVHs
— UFC (@ufc) May 12, 2024
That said, another fighter who received similar treatment on the night was Mateusz Rebecki, who took on Diego Ferreira in the third fight on the main card. A tenured fighter with an impressive record, Rebecki had made his way to the UFC via the Contender Series, with his appearance coming against Nick Fiore at UFC Vegas 67 last year.
Jon Anik called for fans to support a heavily injured Mateusz Rebecki
Standing on the opposing side from Mateusz Rebecki on the night was lightweight veteran Diego Ferreira. Having faced some of the top dogs in the division since his arrival in 2014, Ferreira is one of the most experienced lightweight fighters on the current roster. On the night, it was this experience that shined through and led him to victory after an enthralling yet brutal contest.
Eventually, ‘Chinczyk’ would go down to Ferreira after putting up a valiant effort. As such, his efforts did not go unnoticed by UFC play-by-play commentator and analyst Jon Anik, who was not on call for the event. Keeping a watchful eye over the event from home, Anik was very observant and had a lot of sympathy for Rebecki, who after the fight, looked like he had come out of multiple wars.
Salute to all the warriors of #UFCStLouis on both sides of the scoreboard.
These athletes put everything on the line for us to have a fun Saturday night.
Respect. ✊🏻 pic.twitter.com/BtWP0jTmPr
— Anik & Florian Podcast (@AnikFlorianPod) May 12, 2024
Thus, Jon Anik took to his socials to share Mateusz Rebecki’s post after the loss: “Salute to all the warriors of #UFCStLouis on both sides of the scoreboard. These athletes put everything on the line for us to have a fun Saturday night. Respect.”
Broken and brutally bloodied after a three-round war, Anik called for fans to show their support by redirecting them to the fighter’s social media pages. Judging by the fighter’s bloodied visage full of lacerations, and swelling, he will likely be getting a lengthy medical suspension as well.
How did Mateusz Rebecki’s fight against Diego Ferreira at UFC St. Louis play out?
For the most part, Mateusz Rebecki had made a very bright start to his fight against Diego Ferreira at UFC St. Louis. Despite eating a clean counter, Rebecki came out guns blazing to put the hurt on his opponent and likely take home a bonus as well. Thus, whilst the Polish fighter looked to push the pace, for the most part, his Brazilian counterpart did his best to keep him honest and vigilant.
That said, Rebecki managed to connect cleanly with a bog left that sent Ferreira crashing. Whilst most assumed that the fight would soon be called, the 39-year-old somehow managed to hold on. Naturally, Rebecki came out firing once again for Round 2, but to less effect. Due to the amount of energy he expended, and with the counters from Ferreira, Mateusz found himself fading rapidly and getting exhausted.
POW – right on the kisser 💥#UFCStLouis | @RebeckiMateusz pic.twitter.com/uQwIb4u73l
— UFC (@ufc) May 12, 2024
WHAT A COME BACK 🤯@DiegoUFCTX gets the 3rd round KO! #UFCStLouis pic.twitter.com/CpN9VxqKV7
— UFC (@ufc) May 12, 2024
Thus, Ferreira, throughout Round 2 pieced up Mateusz Rebecki on the feet, leaving his face all bruised and swollen. Coming into Round 3, Rebecki’s eyes were nearly swollen shut, and the fighter was clearly having some difficulty moving. Despite this, he heroically carried on fighting as a bloodied mess until his opponent decided to take him down and land some vicious ground and pound to finish the fight. As a result, Ferreira also took home a Performance of the Night bonus.