Rankings Tracker: UFC on ESPN 56

The Ultimate Fighting Championship hits the road again with UFC on ESPN 56 this Saturday at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis. It marks the organization’s second visit to the city. The last time the Las Vegas-based organization was there, featherweight slugger Jeremy Stephens vanquished Doo Ho Choi in the main event. UFC on ESPN 56 hosts a trio of local prospects and some promising up-and-comers, with a heavyweight clash as the marquee attraction.

Ahead of the show, we take a look at the skilled athletes who are not only chasing victory but pursuing a significant climb in the Sherdog Rankings:

Derrick Lewis vs. Rodrigo Nascimento

Joaquin Buckley, a St. Louis native, seized the opportunity to crash the UFC 300 press conference and shoot his shot at shouldering main event duties in his hometown. While the UFC honored his wish to be featured on the card, the lineup was built around the heavyweight headliner between Lewis and Nascimento. Lewis returns to action following a one-sided decision loss to Jailton Almeida. He has managed to record only one triumph in five outings, suggesting a diminished stature. Meanwhile, Nascimento enters the bout basking in the might of a three-fight winning streak. The Dana White’s Contender Series graduate has recorded a 4-1 record with one no contest in the promotion and aims to test his mettle against the top dogs of the division, provided he beats Lewis. Sherdog’s heavyweight divisional rankings position Lewis at No.14 on the ladder, while Nascimento is still unranked. Fans can expect that to change if the Brazilian delivers a statement-making performance against “The Black Beast.”

Tabatha Ricci vs. Tecia Pennington

The preliminary card features an intriguing clash between strawweight stalwarts in Ricci and Pennington. Ricci is coming off a loss in her previous outing, dropping a hard-fought split decision loss to Lupita Godinez at UFC 295. Meanwhile, Pennington returns after a hiatus of over two years, looking to reclaim lost ground in the 115-pound weight class. A usual mainstay in the Top 15, “The Tiny Tornado” took time away from the sport to welcome her first child with wife and current UFC bantamweight queen Raquel Pennington. The pause in her career saw Pennington drop out of the strawweight rankings. However, a victory over Ricci, who occupies the No. 15 spot, could mean a return in short order.