On the prelims, Jonathan Micallef, Cam Rowston and Billy Elekana scored nice finishes. While on the main card, finishes from Quillan Salkilld, Mauricio Ruffy and Benoit Saint Denis were followed by yet another 25-minute masterclass from the all-time great Alexander Volkanovski. With UFC 325 now in the books, let’s look at what’s next for our main card winners.

Alexander Volkanovski

As easy as it would be to look at this title defence as a waste of time, there’s something to be said about a 37-year-old Alexander Volkanovski giving still a young, hungry contender in his prime a second crack at him and still blanking him. I loved hearing what Volkanovski had to say about his responsibility as a champion to face the most deserving contenders. It was a respectful way to call out the UFC on their matchmaking practices. The UFC then wasted no time announcing Movsar Evloev versus Lerone Murphy as the headliner to the London Fight Night card in March. They are already both deserving; there’s no question that the winner should fight for the belt next.

Volkanovski’s next fight: Evloev/Murphy winner

Benoit Saint Denis

He may not be a perfect fighter and who’s to say how he would fare against the very top of the division, but one thing that Benoit Saint Denis’ harshest critics could never accuse him of is being boring. He walks into chaos, but he loves it and often comes out on the winning side. He’s also very active as this was his third bout in five months. I don’t think someone with the nickname “God of War” can be seen as a bad option to challenge for the BMF title.

Saint Denis’ next fight: Oliveira/Holloway 2 winner

Mauricio Ruffy

Learning about the tough circumstances he had to overcome coming into this fight made this performance look even better for Mauricio Ruffy. After laying an egg in Paris last September, Ruffy was given a different kind of task, but a difficult one, nonetheless.

It took him a little while to get his offense going, but once he did, he had Rafael Fiziev figured out. He looked like a Sean O’Malley-type sniper, consistently tagging Fiziev with long range shots on his way to a second round TKO. The poise with which he finished Fiziev after hurting him made him look like a killer. There are a lot of directions the promotion could go with Ruffy, and I think he deserves a big name next. The loser of the BMF title bout could make a fun fight.

Ruffy’s next fight: Oliveira/Holloway loser

Tallison Teixeira

It wasn’t exactly the most redemptive performance, but at 26 years old, Tallison Teixeira got back in the win column and that’s what ultimately matters in the long-term. The heavyweight division is in such bad need of any kind of new blood that this win for Teixeira can at least push a young name up the rankings. I think someone like the loser of the upcoming Serghei Spivac versus Ante Delija bout makes sense as a next step for the young Xicão.

Teixeira’s next fight: Spivac/Delija loser

Quillan Salkilld

Yes, it was a showcase fight, and he came in as a -1200 betting favourite, but Quillan Salkilld did what he supposed to do. He made short work of a 12-fight UFC veteran who’s been around the block. Sometimes young prospects are put in a showcase position, and they don’t deliver, but Salkilld oozes confidence and passed this test with flying colours. He just turned 26 and he’s in a shark tank of a division, so I see no point in rushing him. I think rebooking the fight against fellow prospect, Rongzhu, is the way to go.

Salkilld’s next fight: Rongzhu

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Tuivasa was also looking to snap a five fight skid, with his last victory coming back in February of 2022. Still, he remained ranked #12 in the UFC’s heavyweight division, the promotion’s shallowest.

As for Teixeira, he’d never left the first round. That was about the change.

Teixeira almost immediately got the fight to the ground, with Tuivasa cramped against the fence just 15 seconds into the fight. Tuivasa tried to power up, but Teixeira was draped across his back, landing punches to the body. Tai did make it up, but Teixeira was still on him and landed a knee to the body. Tuivasa turned, back to the fence, but wound up taken down again, with Teixeira in mount this time. Tuivasa turned, with Teixeira in three-quarter mount from behind, landing the odd punch. “Bam Bam” Tuivasa had spent the entire fight to that point in defensive mode, on the canvas for most of it.

Teixeira would find space to land some decently heavy punches, but not blows hard enough to knock him out. Teixeira looked for a rear-naked choke next, but wasn’t in position. Instead, Tuivasa powered up and out, the crowd erupting with cheers as he got back to his feet. He’d go on the offensive briefly before they tied up. If nothing else, Tuivasa survived the round.

Round two opened with Teixeira firing a kick. Tuivasa fanned on a right, and Teixeira fanned on another kick. Tai hit a leg kick, Teixeira fanned on another kick of his own. Then came a spinning back fist from Tallison, which Tuivasa deftly ducked under. The towering Brazilian appeared to have slowed a step, perhaps having expended too much energy in round one. Tuivasa touched the inside leg with a kick, then landed a hard one outside. He connected with a right, landed a kick, then Teixeira landed several strikes, which Tai simply ate, granite-chinned. Teixeira drove into a takedown and landed it, but Tuivasa nearly escaped only to be taken down again.

Teixeira then moved to side control before mounting, with Tuivasa flat on his back holding on. He’d eventually roll to his front, giving up his back and eating shots. Teixeira then pushed Tuivasa to his back again, and moved into mount once again. Tuivasa would again survive the round, but despite a better start to the second frame, he was likely down two heading into the third.

Tuivasa walked Teixeira down early in round three, but seemed hesitant to pull the trigger. Both men seemed tired. Tai finally landed a few wild, looping punches, then clinched up. Not the best idea, and likely the result of fatigue. The grappled against the fence, and Tai finally landed. Then he opened up, landing a couple more. Teixeira was stumbling backwards. Tuivasa smelled blood. He landed a left, a right, another right. A left missed. Tuivasa clinched again. Half a round was still on the clock.

From the clinch, back to the fence, Teixeira fired a knee. It looked like he might have a takedown, but Tuivasa was able to stay up. Near the one minute mark, he opened up again, landing a few more blows. Then a few more. Teixeira went to his knees, face down. Tai controlled from the front, but any hope of a finish seemed to be back on the feet. Instead, the fight ended on the ground, with Tai landing multiple body shots.

Official Result: Tallison Teixeira def. Tai Tuivasa by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

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Tuivasa (14-8) went on a layoff following a five-fight losing streak that saw him finished in four of those losses. He hopes to get back to his winning ways after this reset and sees his career as a blessing.

“I had more time off, I think it played a really big part. Didn’t do s***, ate, drank, and chilled with my son,” Tuivasa stated during this week’s UFC 325 media day. “I watched a lot of people who have done very great things in this sport get to the end and not really know what to do. Just needed some time off, I’ve enjoyed myself, my whole career, I’ve enjoyed myself. I’ve got to do the best s***, travel the world, party around the world, and fight the best people. I’m gifted, I’m blessed.”

Tuivasa continued, “I missed it. I needed to miss it; I miss winning. I’m ready for one this week.”

Tuivasa emphasized his commitment to returning and fighting:

“I’ve never said no. Every date I said I wanted to fight, I’ve rocked up, and that’s what I’m going to do this week. I’m gonna show the heavyweight division, I’m still here, don’t forget about the fat boy.”

When asked whether the title was still on his mind, Tuivasa made his plans clear.

“That’s my plan. Everything I’ve said, I pretty much did to myself, so I needed that break; I had a year off. I plan to go in here, get the job done, and put my hand up for another one.”

“It doesn’t really matter about him, I’m gonna come and give it my all. He’s good, he’s young, he’s done a few things, I think it’s gonna be a good show,” Tuivasa continued, “He’s big, I f***ing know that.”

Despite this fight being a hometown fight in Sydney for ‘Bam Bam’, he seems to pay that no mind. Tuivasa instead has shifted focus to himself and giving himself what he feels he deserves.

“Doesn’t matter to me, the crowds are always good for Bam Bam, so I don’t really care. I’ve just been focusing on myself this camp, and this year I want to focus a lot on myself. I owe this year to myself, so I’m gonna go hard.

“Fighting is what I do, I love to fight. If anything, this is what I missed. I missed the whole hype, preparing for it, and going out and challenging yourself. I think that’s the thing I missed most, but I definitely missed winning more.”

When asked how his mindset has shifted since his last fight, the heavyweight brawler feels like taking time off really helped reset his mind.

“Rested. I said yesterday you put all of yourself into the camp, you try your hardest, you work your a** off every day. This sports not for the faint-hearted, that’s for sure. Losers stop, I don’t stop.”

“I feel like I’ve worked on myself a bit, I’m a lot happier. I’m ready to make some money this year.”

Watch the entire media day scrum with Tai Tuivasa above. He faces Tallison Teixeira at UFC 325 on Saturday night.

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In the co-main event, Stephen Thompson was narrowly edged out of a decision opposite of Gabriel Bonfim. And in the main event, the all-time leader in KOs in the UFC, Derrick Lewis, delivered yet again, with a first-round knockout of hot prospect Tallison Teixeira. A few vets as well as a couple of fighters that have never found their footing within the promotion feature on this edition of losers matchmaker.

Tallison Teixeira

Derrick Lewis took just 35 seconds to stop Tallison Teixeira in the main event of UFC Nashville. This was just Teixeira’s second fight within the UFC. Tallison was signed last year after his first-round finish of Authur Lopes on the Contender Series. Teixeira’s sole win with the promotion was a 35 second destruction of Justin Tafa back in February. Lewis entered this fight ranked at #9 while Teixeira was ranked at #13. Just too much too soon for the prospect.

It’s the first loss of the 25-year-old’s nine-fight MMA career, but he is still incredibly early on. A good next opponent for Tallison would be Mick Parkin. Mick is 4-1 since being signed during the 2022 season of the Contender Series. Parkin was last in action back in March when he lost a unanimous decision to fellow ranked heavyweight, Marcin Tybura. Mick is currently ranked at #12 in the division so this would be a nice match up for him. Likely would be a striking heavy affair- one that fans could probably expect to see on the main card of a Fight Night.

Teixeira’s next fight: Mick Parkin

Stephen Thompson

Gabriel Bonfim narrowly defeated Stephen Thompson in an exciting back and forth striking battle at UFC Nashville on Saturday. Stephen entered the fight ranked at #12 within the UFC’s welterweight division while his opponent was unranked.

With the loss on Saturday, Wonderboy, who is now 42 years old, has amassed a three-fight losing streak. Thompson’s last victory came in December of 2022 against Kevin Holland.

At this point fun fights are the only option for Thompson. He’s soon to be out of the rankings as well. Why not a fight with ‘The Action Man’ Chris Curtis? Chris had his first UFC fight a 170lbs. on Saturday, winning a split decision against Max Griffin in the feature prelim. A gritty, active and boxing-heavy fighter, a matchup against Wonderboy would be an exciting bout and a cool clash of standup styles. Fight would also mean something as Curtis is now on the rise towards a ranking in the welterweight division. Thompson is a fan favorite and former title challenger, but he likely only has a couple more fights left maximum. Why not keep them striking heavy?

Thompson’s next fight: Chris Curtis

Calvin Kattar

Calvin Kattar lost a competitive fight to Steve Garcia on the main card of UFC Nashville on Saturday. Kattar entered the fight ranked at #14 within the UFC’s featherweight division, while Garcia entered the fight unranked. Kattar has now lost five fights in a row and has not been in the win column since his January 2022 victory over Giga Chikadze.

Bottom line- Kattar needs a win. Now 37, Kattar will slip out of the rankings and likely face a prospect looking to make a name for themselves. An interesting next matchup would be against a fighter like Jose Delgado. The 27-year-old 2024 Contender Series alum has competed just twice within the UFC. Jose has scored a pair of first round finishes this year stopping Connor Matthews in February and an 11-0 Hyder Amil last month. Delgado is dangerous and has stopped all 10 of his pro victories. Thwarting a young hungry fighter like this would prove Kattar still belongs and fast track him back towards the rankings.

Kattar’s next fight: Jose Delgado

Nate Landwehr

Morgan Charriere melted Nate Landwehr early in the final round of what was an action-packed fight on the main card of UFC Nashville on Saturday. The fight would go on to win fight of the night honors as Landwehr put on a gutsy display, as he often does, on the way to losing his third fight in his last four. Nate is now 5-5 with the promotion.

The perfect next fight for Landwehr is Billy Quarantillo. This one is a no brainer; can’t believe it hasn’t been booked previously. Billy has also lost three of his last four fights. He’s got a similar record in the UFC to Nate at 6-5. Both men have never been in a boring scrap. This one would all but be a guaranteed fight of the night. And the winner would be about a win or two away from a shot at having a ranking.

Landwehr’s next fight: Billy Quarantillo 

Austen Lane

Austen Lane dropped another fight after he was submitted late in the first round of his bout with Vitor Petrino on Saturday. Lane has now gone 1-4, 1 NC during his nearly three-year stint with the UFC. Lane is a product of the Contender Series where he earned redemption for his 2018 DWCS loss (opposite of Greg Hardy) with a finish over Richard Jacobi in 2022 to earn a UFC contract.

To say that Lane has struggled would be a massive understatement. Lane’s lone win with the promotion came in October of 2024 with a unanimous division victory over Robelis Despaigne. If the UFC’s heavyweight division wasn’t so shallow, Lane would likely have already have received the boot from the roster.

Lane’s next fight should be against the loser of Ryan Spann vs Lukasz Brezeski who are scheduled to fight at UFC 318 on July 19th. Timing would matchup well as they are competing just one week apart. Spann has lost four of his last five bouts. His last fight came back in March, which was his first appearance at heavyweight, a second round TKO at the hands of Waldo Cortes-Acosta. Brezeski is 1-5 with the promotion, with is only win coming to Valter Walker in April of 2024. Loser of the bout facing Lane would make sense and at this point, the loser of that bout would likely be cut by the UFC.

Lane’s next fight:  Ryan Spann vs Lukasz Brezeski loser

Junior Tafa

Tuco Tokkos submitted Junior Tafa in the second round of their bout on Saturday to kick off the main card of UFC Nashville.  The fight was Tafa’s first a 205lbs. as he had previously exclusively competed at heavyweight for the duration of his professional fight career.

Tafa is on the hot seat as he is 2-4 within the UFC, since being signed in early 2023.

If Tafa was still at heavyweight, an easy pick here would be Austen Lane. Loser essentially deserves to be let go from the promotion. However, if Tafa elects to stay at light heavyweight- and he likely will- his next fight should be against Ivan Erslan. Ivan is 0-2 in the UFC since being signed in 2024. He lost his debut to Ion Cutelaba via split decision. Most recently, Ivan lost a unanimous decision to Navajo Stirling at UFC 315 in May. Loser of this fight would really have to make a hard case to keep their job with the promotion. Banger fight though, as the styles and stakes have a high chance to produce a finish in this matchup.

Junior’s next fight: Ivan Erslan

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Lewis, the UFC‘s knockout king, looked to be in the best shape of his career. And for good reason. The former title challenger was taking on a young, undefeated up-and-comer who had never gone outside the opening round.

With Lewis, one way or another, a finish seemed likely, first round or not. Whether it was Teixeira or not.

The U-S-A chant got going before Lewis and the towering Teixeira even met in the middle of the cage in the UFC Nashville main event. When they did come together, Lewis swung wild, kicked wild, missed, and got tagged, which apparently seemed to effect his vision. Lewis appeared to have slipped off the kick attempt and nearly slipped again, but then tagged Teixeira himself with a left hand! Teixeira dropped, and Lewis went all out, unleashing fury, pounding away at Teixeira, who climbed to his feet, but had his back turned, taking even more damage. The ref didn’t like the visual, and waved the fight off as Lewis began celebrating. And what a celebration it was, with his traditional pounding of the canvas, plus miming shooting arrows, adding a D-X crotch chop, and stripping off his shorts. Four celebrations in one for “The Black Beast,” who at age 40 appears as powerful and dangerous as ever.

Lewis also mimed peeing on Teixeira’s corner like a dog, claiming after the fight that though he could not speak Portuguese, he believed his opponent’s corner had been “talking sh*t about me all week.” He then claimed to have received a phone call from U.S. President Donald Trump following the fight. With Lewis, who knows. It was another wildly entertaining night for the heavyweight, however.

Official Result: Derrick Lewis def. Tallison Teixeira by TKO, Round 1, 0:35

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Part of an extended stretch of road shows by the UFC, the Nashville card also featured fan favorite welterweight Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson, a former title challenger, taking on another strong Brazilian up-and-comer in Gabriel Bonfim. Featherweight Calvin Kattar, meanwhile, was paired up with Steve Garcia, with Nate Landwehr, Virtor Petrino, and Junior Tafa all featuring as well on a very strong main card on paper.

Weigh-ins for UFC Nashville take place Friday morning starting at 9AM CDT. Full results can be found below.

UFC Nashville: Lewis vs. Teixeira Weigh-In Results

Main card

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Teixeira has never left the first round, and he doesn’t plan on that changing this weekend either.

“That’s the intention, to knock [him] out and get another bonus,” Teixeira (8-0) told media in attendance during Wednesday’s UFC Nashville media day. Asked whether that knockout would come in the opening round, “always in the first round,” he added.

Which would mean everyone goes home early. “Listen it’s rest. Get the knockout and everybody goes home and rests,” Teixeira replied.

Lewis has been out of action for a year now, after a fight at UFC Edmonton last fall fell through last minute. That might play into Tallison Teixeira’s hands, but he’s not thinking that way.

“I try not to think that. It’s a guy who’s very experienced, has got more than 40 fights in the UFC,” stated Teixeira. Lewis actually has 29 fights in the UFC, but over 40 in his career. “When he got to the UFC I was 12 years old. So I try not to think that. I think about my physical attributes and what I can bring.”

Teixeira believes Jailton Almeida, a fellow Brazilian heavyweight, deserves the next title shot now that Tom Aspinall is undisputed champion in the wake of Jon Jones’ retirement. As for his own title hopes, the 25-year old added that “I try to take fights one at a time, but I think that going through this fight, I think two more I could be looking for a title.”

Watch the full UFC Nashville media day appearance by Tallison Teixeira above.

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Announced by the UFC on Monday, heavyweights Derrick Lewis (28-12, 1NC) and Tallison Teixeira (8-0) will headline the Fight Night card. Laerte Viana was first to report the news earlier this month.

Lewis, hailing from Texas, will be appearing for the first time since a victory over Rodrigo Nascimento last May. “The Black Beast” had been booked to compete at UFC Edmonton in November, opposite Jhonata Diniz, only for the fight to be scrapped after Lewis experienced medical issues.

A former title challenger, Lewis is 2-1 in his last three bouts, all of which have come versus Brazilian heavyweights. That trend will continue against Teixeira, who will headline the card in just his second UFC fight. The towering big man, standing an impressive 6 foot 7 inches, made a splash in his promotional debut, stopping Justin Tafa in just 35 seconds at UFC 312 in Australia.

Teixeira has never gone to a decision and in fact has never gone past the first round. He’s nevertheless getting a big step up in competition against the UFC’s knockout leader in Derrick Lewis.

UFC Nashville takes place at the Bridgestone Arena on July 12, 2025 and is the promotion’s seventh trip to the city. No other fights have been reported or announced for the card thus far.

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Jimmy Crute returned after a 19-month hiatus and fought Rodolfo Bellato to a draw in a wild back-and-forth. The debuting heavyweight giant Tallison Teixeira made quick work of Justin Tafa. And the two title fights saw the champions retain their titles in dominant fashions.

Dricus Du Plessis

This might have been the most technically sound performance we have seen from Du Plessis, so far. Although, while he shutout Sean Strickland on two of the judges’ scorecards, it’s not like he exactly blew him out of the water.

His next opponent is obvious, and this fight didn’t do a lot to teach us anything about how it might go down. We saw no defensive grappling from the South African, which doesn’t exactly help us understand how he’ll navigate his next challenge: Khamzat Chimaev. It’s been the obvious fight to make ever since Chimaev defeated Robert Whittaker back in October. Assuming the fight can be made without too many travelling issues from Chimaev’s camp, it should go down sometime this summer. The fans want it, Dana White wants it, and even Du Plessis wants it.

If Chimaev once again needs to wait until October to fight in Abu Dhabi, then Du Plessis can fight Nassourdine Imavov, in the meantime.

Du Plessis’ next fight: Khamzat Chimaev

Zhang Weili

Tatiana Suarez was seen as the uncrowned champion for many years while away with health troubles. She closed as the betting favourite seemingly because all the fans who had picked her as a lock to become a champion many moons ago wanted to put their money where their mouths are. And who can blame them when the wrestling phenom had finishes over champions like Alexa Grasso, Carla Esparza and Jessica Andrade?

All this makes what Zhang Weili accomplished on Saturday that much more impressive. She didn’t just hand the challenger her first professional defeat, she thoroughly dominated her. Zhang defended 14 of 15 takedown attempts and became the first fighter to take Suarez the the ground. At 35 years of age, “Magnum” is showing no signs of slowing down and she deserves the chance to grab a second belt. But first, Valentina Shevchenko has business with Manon Fiorot to take care of.

Zhang’s next fight: Flyweight title shot

Tallison Teixeira

Teixeira is 25 years old, 6’7”, and undefeated with a 100% 1^st-round finish rate. In other words, he’s a legitimate heavyweight prospect and those have been an endangered species in this sport for some time. The way he folded Justin Tafa in just 35 seconds after landing just one elbow in the clinch is the type of clip the UFC should be posting on all their social media accounts.

Part of me would’ve been curious to see him go up against fellow 6’7” giant Robelis Despaigne, but the Cuban was released last year. Some people are calling for Teixeira to be fast tracked to the rankings to breathe some life into the division. At just 25, there’s no rush for him to be fighting the Derrick Lewises of the world yet, no matter how fun that matchup would be. Instead, I believe the promotion should be looking to make Teixeira their Rookie of the Year and have him fight 4, maybe even 5 times this year. The man has an average fight time of 1:56, he should have no problem getting at least one fight in every quarter of the year just like Carlos Prates did in 2024. For that, he needs an opponent who the promotion can expect to offer a relatively low amount of resistance. I went with Sean Sharaf, but Lukasz Brzeski or even the other Tafa brother are fine options as well.

Teixeira’s next fight: Sean Sharaf

Jake Matthews

The still only 30-year-old Matthews got a consummate, professional win on Saturday, soundly beating the young Francisco Prado, who was making a move up in weight. It wasn’t the most astonishing performance, but “The Celtic Kid” showed levels against a dangerous youngster with a 100% finish rate, with 9 of his 12 wins coming in the very first round.

Matthews called for a fight with Neil Magny. I don’t think Matthews deserves a shot at the rankings just yet, but now that Magny isn’t ranked anymore, that is a matchup I can get behind. Beating the veteran Magny would give Matthews a third consecutive victory and then he’d probably be looking at a ranked opponent. And coming off back-to-back 1^st-round KO losses to Michael Morales and Carlos Prates, Magny has never looked as vulnerable as he does right now. Taking all of that into account, this was a smart and calculated callout from the Australian.

Matthews has been in the promotion for 11 years and is 10-4 in his last 14 fights. This is an opportunity he has earned the hard way, and I’m inclined to give it to him.

Matthews’ next fight: Neil Magny

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