UFC St. Louis: Lewis vs. Nascimento is finally underway as we're set for a betting prediction and pick for the opening fight of the Main Card action. This bout takes place in the Heavyweight Division as the Domincan Republic's Waldo Cortes-Acosta will take on the newcomer Robelis Despaigne of Cuba in a can't-miss clash of monsters. Check out our UFC odds series for our Cortes-Acosta-Despaigne prediction and pick.

Waldo Cortes-Acosta (11-1) has gone 4-1 during his UFC tenure since 2022. His only loss came to Marcos Rogerio de Lima during a tough decision, but he's been able to cruise to unanimous decision wins rather gracefully with his advanced boxing skills. He'll be the more experienced fighter welcoming a newcomer to the division. Cortes-Acosta stands 6'4″ with a 70-inch reach.

Robelis Despaigne (5-0) is perfect through one UFC appearance and has yet to drop a bout during his short MMA pro career. A former fighter over at Fury FC, his UFC contract was only an eventuality as he's finished all of his first by KO/TKO in the first round. He disposed of Josh Parisian in the same fashion and will look to remain perfect in MMA. Despaigne stands 6'7″ with a 87-inch reach.

Here are the UFC St. Louis Odds, courtesy of BetOnline. 

UFC St. Louis Odds: Waldo Cortes-Acosta-Robelis Despaigne Odds

Waldo Cortes-Acosta: +195

Robelis Despaigne: -230

Over 1.5 rounds: +185

Under 1.5 rounds: -225

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Why Waldo Cortes-Acosta Will Win

Waldo Cortes-Acosta has made a quick name for himself as one of the cleaner, more technical boxers in the Heavyweight Division. Prior to the UFC, he was knocking opponents out furiously in various promotions and upon landing to the big show, he's had to tailor his game and work around some of the killers in the heavyweight ranks. Still, he's been able to stop skilled fighters like Andrei Arlovski and his boxing continues to evolve each time out. His three unanimous wins can be credited by his fast hands, head movement, and ability to counter strong while slipping shots.

To be successful in this fight, Waldo Cortes-Acosta will have to weather the early hurricane that is Robelis Despaigne. However, it's worth noting that Despaigne has never fought for more than five total minutes during his professional career. If Cortes-Acosta is able to survive the first round and make it out without being knocked out, he stands to make this an interesting fight by pushing the boxing pace and wearing Despaigne out.

Why Robelis Despaigne Will Win

Robelis Despaigne has only spent two years fighting professionally in mixed martial arts and he's already beginning to put together and impressive resume under his belt. At 6'7″ and 260 pounds, Despaigne is an absolute terror on the feet and generates octagon-shaking power. He's already one of the biggest physical freaks on the roster and not a single person has been able to escape the first round. It's very tough to reach his chin, but it becomes impossible when Despaigne is charging forward and landing fight-ending shot after shot.

The biggest tool in Despaigne's arsenal is his astonishing 87-inch reach, a whole 17 inches longer than his opponent's reach. When striking at distance, his long arms make it nearly impossible to reach his chin without getting caught with one of his shots first. There's not much of a sample size consider his debut lasted only 18 seconds before he got the devastating knockout, but all of his fights thus far have indicated that nothing can stand in the way of Robelis Despaigne for the time being.

Final Waldo Cortes-Acosta-Robelis Despaigne Prediction & Pick

This is going to be a banger to open the Main Card action and fans will see two behemoth human beings enter the cage when these two square off. Waldo Cortes-Acosta has found a home in the heavyweight division with his quick boxing hands and ability to mix up his looks on the feet. If he's able to make it out of the first round, he could stand a chance to tire Despaigne out and turn the tide of this fight with his boxing.

Robelis Despaigne will have other plans as he doesn't expect to leave the first round for the sixth-straight fight. It's still unclear who will be able to match up with him physically, but he remains an unsolvable problem to this heavyweight roster. If he can close the distance and land just a few clean shots on his opponent's chin, this fight will be over in a hurry.

For our prediction, we're going to ride the destructive path of Robelis Despaigne. Until a fighter shows up and exposes a clear game plan for how to beat Despaigne, it's hard to see how anyone can stop him and his lethal striking. For added value, take this fight to end in the first round given where the total is.

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Final Waldo Cortes-Acosta-Robelis Despaigne Prediction & Pick: Robelis Despaigne (-230); Wins in Round 1 (-120)