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Fight By Fight Preview | UFC Nashville
Setting The Table For Saturday’s Return To Music City For UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs Teixeira
By E. Spencer Kyte
The UFC makes its sixth trip to Nashville, Tennessee, this week, bringing a fight card featuring a dozen matchups to Bridgestone Arena, headlined by a heavyweight clash between Derrick Lewis and intriguing sophomore Tallison Teixeira.
Nashville has played host to several memorable debuts, finishes, and fights over the years, with both Carlos Condit and Khabib Nurmagomedov stepping into the Octagon for the first time in Music City, with more recent highlights including Anthony Pettis knocking out Stephen Thompson, Diego Lopes blowing through Gavin Tucker, and Tatiana Suarez submitting Jessica Andrade.
The potential for chaos and excitement feels high as we ready for the first event in a seven-week stretch that will feature stops in New Orleans, Abu Dhabi, Las Vegas, Chicago, and Shanghai, so sit back, buckle up, and enjoy the fisticuffs as we get things rolling this weekend.
Main Event: Derrick Lewis vs Tallison Teixeira
The most experienced heavyweight on the roster steps in with a recent Dana White’s Contender Series (DWCS) graduate in Saturday’s fascinating main event as Derrick Lewis squares up with Tallison Teixeira.
Lewis returns to action for the first time since stopping Rodrigo Nascimento last spring in St. Louis after his planned bout in Edmonton last November was scuttled at the 11th hour when he suffered a medical issue following his weight cut. The man with the most knockouts in UFC history remains a consistent presence in the heavyweight Top 15 and has not lost to an opponent stationed outside the Top 10 since the early days of his UFC tenure.
Simply put, Teixeira has been a wrecking machine thus far in his career, posting eight wins in as many starts while never allowing any of his opponents to stay in the fight for more than five minutes. After blowing through Arthur Lopes last season to earn his place on the roster, the towering Brazilian dispatched Justin Tafa in 35 seconds to win his debut, putting him on the fast track to contention after just one fight.
This is a classic “veteran versus prospect” pairing and a position Lewis is exceptionally familiar with, having been stationed opposite promising up-and-comers many times throughout his career. The results in those bouts have been mixed, though he won the last one, and represents a colossal step-up in competition for the 25-year-old Lucas Martins trainee.
Additional Main Card Bouts
Stephen Thompson vs Gabriel Bonfim
The co-main event features a similar type of pairing, but down a couple divisions as Stephen Thompson steps in opposite Gabriel Bonfim.
“Wonderboy” is now 42 and enters Saturday’s contest on a two-fight skid, having dropped four of five overall. Now, each of those setbacks came against divisional standouts, including former champ Belal Muhammad, but it’s hard to overlook that the Top 15 fixture has just one victory since besting Geoff Neal in the final UFC bout of 2020.
Bonfim touches down for his second appearance of the year, having posted the opposite results of his opponent to begin his UFC career. The 2022 DWCS grad has gone 4-1 in five appearances, posting two wins on either side of his lone setback, and enters off a second-round technical submission win over Khaos Williams back in February.
Will the veteran bounce back and prove to be too much or does Bonfim keep rolling and hand his experienced foe a third consecutive defeat?
Calvin Kattar vs Steve Garcia
Featherweight strikers meet in Nashville as Calvin Kattar and Steve Garcia share the Octagon in Nashville.
A Top 10 mainstay for a number of years, Kattar has dropped four straight and five of his last six heading into this one. Last time out, the Massachusetts man couldn’t get going against Youssef Zalal until it was too late, leaving him in search of his first win since opening 2022 with a victory over Giga Chikadze.
The 33-year-old Garcia has been lights out since returning to featherweight, posting five straight victories overall, with all of them coming inside the distance. After registering a pair of second-round finishes in 2023, “Mean Machine” upped his game last year, stopping both SeungWoo Choi and Kyle Nelson in the opening stanza to advance to 17-5 for his career and land on the doorstep of the Top 15.
This is a huge crossroads fight for both men, and how it shakes out will have a significant impact on what the rest of the year looks like for each of them. Kattar is in dire need of a strong effort, while a victory for Garcia would catapult him into the rankings or, at the very least, set up another matchup with a ranked opponent next time out. Given those stakes and the New Mexico native’s recent approach, it should be fireworks from the jump.
Nate Landwehr vs Morgan Charriere
Tennessee’s own “Nate the Train” chugs his way into the Octagon for a home state showdown with Morgan Charriere in the main card’s first featherweight fixture.
Born, raised and fighting out of Clarksville, which is about an hour northwest of Nashville, Landwehr makes his first appearance at home since arriving in the UFC at the outset of 2020. The all-action wild man (said with love) has gone 5-4 over his nine appearances, and looks to rebound from a stoppage loss to DooHo Choi when he makes the walk in this one.
The 29-year-old Charriere has been hit-and-miss through his first four trips into the Octagon, alternating wins and losses; registering finishes in his victories, and going the distance in his setbacks. He was ultra-competitive with Chepe Mariscal, who remains unbeaten in the UFC, had moments opposite Nathaniel Wood last year, and should make for an outstanding dance partner for Landwehr in this one.
If you’re placing bets for Fight of the Night, this wouldn’t be a bad selection, as these two are likely to meet in the center right out of the chute and not stop throwing until the round or the fight ends.
Vitor Petrino vs Austen Lane
The main event isn’t the only heavyweight pairing on the main card as Vitor Petrino ventures up to the big boy ranks for the first time to face off with Austen Lane.
After registering wins in each of his first four UFC appearances to advance to 11-0 for his career, Petrino has been stopped in back-to-back outings, prompting him to eschew the 205-pound weight class for heavier surroundings. Still just 27 years old and developing as a fighter, the Cristiano Marcello protege could grow into an intriguing figure in the heavyweight ranks with a little time.
Lane turned his second DWCS appearance into a ticket to the Octagon, but struggled out of the gate, going winless in his first three outings. After claiming his first victory by bouncing Robelis Despaigne from the ranks of the unbeaten, the 37-year-old former NFL defensive lineman was stopped by Portuguese prospect Mario Pinto earlier this year, dropping him to 1-3 with one no contest in five UFC appearances.
Junior Tafa vs Tuco Tokkos
Light heavyweights open the main card as Junior Tafa and Tuco Tokkos meet in a matchup originally scheduled to take place at the start of May.
A move down the 205-pound ranks was always anticipated for the younger half of the UFC’s Tafa Brothers, and comes after “The Juggernaut” salvaged his 2024 campaign with a win over Sean Sharaf last October. It will be interesting to see how Tafa takes to the transition, as he was never overly big at heavyweight, and will now look to shine in his new surroundings.
Tokkos makes the walk for the third time, still searching for his first UFC victory. After running afoul of French prospect Oumar Sy in his short notice debut, the Kill Cliff FC representative gave Navajo Stirling a good test last December, landing on the wrong side of the cards nonetheless.
This feels like it should be an action-packed fight, with the results telling us a great deal about where each man fits in the light heavyweight division going forward.
Preliminary Card Pairings
Max Griffin vs Chris Curtis
Veterans clash in the final preliminary card fight as Max Griffin welcomes Chris Curtis back to the welterweight division.
The 39-year-old Griffin has been a steady presence in the “Second 15” over the last several years, posting a 5-3 mark over his last eight starts, with wins over Carlos Condit, Song Kenan, and Ramiz Brahimaj. Curtis has spent his entire UFC run competing at middleweight, going 5-4 with one no contest, and looks to replicate the kind of success enjoyed by former opponent Joaquin Buckley, whom he knocked out, as he now joins him in the welterweight ranks.
Jake Matthews vs Chidi Njokuani
Australia’s Jake Matthews looks to make it three-in-a-row while Chidi Njokuani searches for a fourth consecutive win in this intriguing welterweight pairing.
Hyper-experienced but still just 30 years old, Matthews enters this one off consecutive decision wins over Phil Rowe and Francisco Prado, having posted a 10-4 record since moving up to welterweight several years ago. Njokuani dropped to the 170-pound ranks last year, beating Rhys McKee and Jared Gooden by decision in his first two outings before stopping Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos with a Muay Thai barrage earlier this year in a bout where he unfortunately missed weight.
Lauren Murphy vs Eduarda Moura
Former title challenger Lauren Murphy returns for the first time since the outset of 2023, squaring off with Brazilian prospect Eduarda Moura.
Murphy, who turns 42 later this month, has gone 7-3 since the introduction of the flyweight division, earning wins over Andrea Lee, Roxanne Modafferi, Joanne Calderwood, and Miesha Tate. Moura got things moving in the right direction again after suffering the first loss of her career midway through last year, earning a unanimous decision win over Veronica Hardy at UFC 309 in November.
Kennedy Nzechekwu vs Valter Walker
The first of three heavyweight matchups on Saturday’s slate comes early in the evening, as Kennedy Nzechukwu and Valter Walker share the Octagon in a clash of two fighters looking to keep working forward.
A member of the DWCS Class of ’18, Nzechukwu has gone 2-0 with a pair of first-round finishes since moving up to heavyweight, settling both Chris Barnett and Lukasz Brzeski with relative ease. The 27-year-old Walker lost his debut to Brzeski, but has since earned back-to-back wins over Tafa and Don’Tale Mayes, beating each by heel hook.
Mitch Ramirez vs Mike Davis
Mitch Ramirez and Mike Davis meet in a lightweight battle of competitors looking to get things moving in the right direction in Nashville.
Ramirez got a short-notice call-up to face Thiago Moises last year, where he was cut down with leg kicks by the Brazilian veteran before having a previous bout from earlier this year cancelled at the last minute. Davis had his six-year, four-fight winning streak halted earlier his year in Riyadh by Fares Ziam, and aims to get right back in the win column in this one.
Fatima Kline vs Melissa Martinez
Melissa Martinez of Mexico kicks Alice Ardelean of Romania in a strawweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on October 19, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
Saturday’s action gets underway in the strawweight division as once-beaten prospects Fatima Kline and Melissa Martinez each aim to earn a second straight win.
After debuting up a division against Jasmine Jasudavicius, Kline showed why she’s one of the most talked about prospects in the promotion in January, stopping Viktoriia Dudakova with a torrent of elbows on the first event of the year. Martinez rebounded from her first professional setback with a unanimous decision victory over Alice Ardelean in her sophomore trip into the Octagon last October.
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