The UFC is back in Music City, Nashville, Tennessee, for the first time since August 2023. Cory Sandhagen beat Rob Font in the Main Event of that card. This time, knockout artist No. 9 Derrick “The Black Beast” Lewis takes on No. 13 Tallison Teixeira in a five-round heavyweight bout.
Lewis is coming off a knockout victory against Rodrigo Nascimento in May 2024. Even though Lewis has won two of his last three contests, he is 3-5 in his previous eight fights. Saturday night, Lewis will face one of the fastest rising prospects in the heavyweight division.
Teixeira, 25, is 8-0 with seven knockouts and one submission in his MMA career. He has also won each of his fights in the first round. Teixeira earned his UFC contract on season eight of Dana White’s Contender Series against Arthur Lopes. He followed that up with a big win vs. Justin Tafa at UFC 312 in February.
Although this is a massive step up in competition for Teixeira, he has all the tools necessary to pick up the most significant victory of his career. The veteran, Lewis, is a +240 underdog on DraftKings Sportsbook while Teixeira is a -298 favorite. Teixeira is -185 to win this bout via KO/TKO/DQ.
Former UFC title challenger, No. 12 Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson, is facing Gabriel Bonfim in the co-main event. Thompson has lost four of his last five bouts and most recently lost via knockout against Joaquin Buckley at UFC 307. Bonfim holds a 4-1 record in the promotion and looks to extend his winning streak to three against the legend. Bonfim is a -455 favorite with Thompson being +350.
The Prelims start at 6:00 p.m. ET with the Main Card beginning at 9:00 p.m. on ESPN and ESPN+. Check out the entire 12-fight card below.
Main Card | 9:00 p.m. ET | ESPN/ESPN+
| Matchup: | Records: | Weight Class: | Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook: |
| #9 Derrick Lewis vs. #13 Tallison Teixeira Main Event | 28-12 (19-10 UFC) vs. 8-0 (1-0 UFC) | Heavyweight | +240 vs. -298 |
| #12 Stephen Thompson vs. Gabriel Bonfim | 17-8-1 (12-8-1 UFC) vs. 17-1 (4-1 UFC) | Welterweight | +350 vs. -455 |
| #14 Calvin Kattar vs. Steve Garcia | 23-9 (7-7 UFC) vs. 17-5 (6-2 UFC) | Featherweight | +105 vs. -125 |
| Nate Landwehr vs. Morgan Charriere | 18-6 (5-4 UFC) vs. 20-11-1 (2-2 UFC) | Featherweight | +210 vs. -258 |
| Vitor Petrino vs. Austen Lane | 11-2 (4-2 UFC) vs. 13-6 (1-3 UFC) | Heavyweight | -700 vs. +500 |
| Junior Tafa vs. Tuco Tokkos | 6-3 (2-3 UFC) vs. 10-5 (0-2 UFC) | Light Heavyweight | -180 vs. +150 |
Prelims | 6:00 p.m. ET | ESPN/ESPN+
| Matchup: | Records: | Weight Class: | Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook: |
| Max Griffin vs. Chris Curtis | 20-11 (8-9 UFC) vs. 31-12 (5-4 UFC) | Welterweight | +260 vs. -325 |
| Jake Matthews vs. Chidi Njokuani | 21-7 (14-7 UFC) vs. 25-10 (5-3 UFC) | Welterweight | +136 vs. -162 |
| Lauren Murphy vs. Eduarda Moura | 16-6 (8-6 UFC) vs. 11-1 (2-1 UFC) | W Flyweight | +525 vs. -750 |
| Kennedy Nzechukwu vs. Valter Walker | 14-5 (8-5 UFC) vs. 13-1 (2-1 UFC) | Heavyweight | -205 vs. +170 |
| Mitch Ramirez vs. Mike Davis | 8-2 (0-1 UFC) vs. 11-3 (4-2 UFC) | Lightweight | +700 vs. -1100 |
| Fatima Kline vs. Melissa Martinez | 7-1 (1-1 UFC) vs. 8-1 (1-1 UFC) | W Strawweight | -1350 vs. +800 |
