Fight By Fight Preview | UFC Nashville

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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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.

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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

Veterans clash in the final preliminary card fight as Max Griffin welcomes Chris Curtis back to the welterweight division.

READ: Where We Stand In The Lightweight Division | Where We Stand In The Flyweight 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.

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