Heavyweight powerhouses collide on Saturday night, as No. 12-ranked Tai Tuivasa takes on No. 15 Tallison Teixeira at UFC 325 in Sydney, Australia.
Tuivasa (15–8, 14 KOs) returns to the Octagon for the first time in nearly two years, looking to snap a brutal five-fight skid punctuated by a split-decision loss to Jairzinho Rozenstruik. Teixeira (8–1, 7 KOs, 1 SUB) aims to rebound from his first professional loss — a first-round knockout by Derrick Lewis last July — while preserving his 100% first-round finish rate.
Teixeira enters as a heavy -345 moneyline favorite on DraftKings Sportsbook, while Tuivasa sits as a +275 underdog. The total is set at 1.5 rounds.
Tuivasa vs. Teixeira Preview
Tai Tuivasa
Tuivasa, 32, returns to his native country with hopes of performing a trademark “shoey” for the first time in nearly four years.
The Australian southpaw reached the peak of his UFC career in February 2022, when he flattened Derrick Lewis to record his fifth consecutive knockout victory. But Tuivasa’s tenure has since gone off the rails, as he’s now mired in a five-fight skid — getting finished four times before suffering a split-decision loss to Jairzinho Rozenstruik.
“Bam Bam” remains a dangerous knockout artist, with 14 of his 15 victories coming by stoppage. But at this stage of his career, questions linger over whether he can dig himself out of the hole — or continue sinking to new depths.
Tallison Teixeira
Teixeira, 26, enters Saturday night’s bout with a point to prove.
The former Dana White’s Contender Series standout, who boasts a towering 6-foot-7 frame, burst onto the scene with a 35-second knockout of Justin Tafa in his UFC debut last February. But “Xicao” quickly reaped what he sowed in his follow-up fight in July, getting knocked out by Derrick Lewis in the same amount of time.
Still, getting caught by the UFC’s all-time knockouts king isn’t necessarily reflective of Teixeira’s true skill level. He blends sound kickboxing with opportunistic grappling and walk-off power, with all eight of his wins coming inside the first round — three of them, within the opening minute.
Tuivasa vs. Teixeira Pick, Best Bet
Teixeira currently holds -225 odds to win by knockout — and for good reason. The 26-year-old skyscraper should be too fast, too sharp, and too strong for the aging, spiraling Tuivasa to keep up. Teixeira has never seen a second round in his life; don’t expect that to change on Saturday night.
