A few ranked matchups dotted this card, with the main event featuring a spirited scrap between former UFC flyweight champion, Deiveson Figueiredo, and Yadong Song, in an important bantamweight bout. Lots of ranked and nearly ranked fighters left picking up the pieces in this edition of losers. All but one of the main card fights ended before the final bell.

Deiveson Figueiredo

(#5) Song Yadong pulled off a guillotine submission victory at the end of the second round in his main event against (#7) Deivesion Figueiredo. Easily the biggest finish of Song’s career, as he pushes Figueiredo to just 1-4 in his last five fights. Figgy has also missed weight in that stretch.

Now 38 years old, Deiveson could be paired up against Raoni Barcelos who is on a 5-fight winstreak and just turned 39 years old at the beginning of May. Barcelos took down a host of names in that run including former UFC flyweight champ, Cody Garbrandt, Payton Talbott, Ricky Simon and Montel Jackson.  Barcelos is 11-4 since signing with the UFC in 2018 and is still a fighter that often times flies under the radar. Solid matchup for both men here that makes sense in the rankings as much as it does in the cage. Backup fight here could be against a fighter like Payton Talbott.

Figueiredo’s next fight: (#14) Raoni Barcelos or (#11) Payton Talbott

Mingyang Zhang

(#15) Alonzo Menifield looked stellar as he weathered an early storm to upset the hometown fighter and turn in a first-round TKO thwarting the unranked Mingyang Zhang. Despite the loss and the first-round stoppage, Zhang still secured the fight of the night bonus, a somewhat rare feat, and a promising sign in the aftermath of a stoppage loss. Mingyang has now lost two in a row. He’s been stopped in both. Johnny Walker got him out of there in two, last August.  Before that, Zhang was 3-0 in the UFC with as many bonuses and finishes. The Chinese born light heavyweight has cooled off considerably since that streak.

With that fact in mind, Zhang should target Jimmy Crute for his next fight. Crute had a fight against Dustin Jacoby scheduled for late January before he tore his ACL. Zhang took some time off after his Johnny Walker stoppage loss- this was the first time we had seen him since that appearance. Perhaps Crute’s comeback and Zhang’s recovery could match up well timing-wise Both have faced Menifield and lost. Crute pulled a majority draw in early 2023 before losing via second round submission to Alonzo, a few months later. Crute is 6-4 with the promotion while Zhang is 3-2. Perfect. Crute is riding a 2-fight win streak but with all the slowed momentum, a fight like this on the main card of a fight night could be more than plausible.

Zhang’s next fight: Jimmy Crute

Tallison Teixeira

(#3) Sergei Pavlovich proved he’s still here to stay within the upper ranks of UFC’s heavyweight division, with his 39 second KO of (#15) Tallison Teixeira on Saturday. The 2024 Contender Series alum now falls to 2-2 with the UFC and has gone 1-2 in his last three. His only win in that stretch was a unanimous decision against a shell of Tai Tuivasa back in January.

Tallison’s next win has to give him legitimacy within the division. Not too much harm done in this loss, as it was a large leap, but he needs that signature win, all the same. Teixeira should fight the loser of Rizvan Kuniev vs. Tyrell Fortune. That fight will go down on July 25th, a ways away, but Tallison got stopped anyways.

Tyrell Fortune is a former Bellator standout that is currently 1-0 in the UFC. His debut was a very legitimate unanimous decision victory opposite of Marcin Tybura. Rizvan is 1-1 in the UFC. The 2024 Contender Series product dropped a split decision in his debut to Curtis Blaydes. Rizvan defeated Jaliton Almedia in his last fight back in February before the heavyweight was bizarrely released by the promotion (riding a 2-fight losing skid and 8-3 with the promotion).  Giving Teixeira the loser of this bout makes a lot of since as he’ll likely keep a ranking.

Teixeira’s next fight: (#8) Rizvan Kuniev vs. (#10) Tyrell Fortune loser

Cameron Smootherman

Former Rizin champion, Kai Asakura, finally got into the win column within the UFC Saturday. It took Kai under two minutes to smoke Cameron Smootherman. Smootherman is now on a 3-fight losing skid. He’s 1-3 in the UFC with his only win coming against Jake Hadley (who is no longer with the UFC).

Cameron’s next fight should be against Aoriqileng. Aoriqileng fought and lost on the undercard of UFC Macau. He was also finished with strikes. Aoriqileng is 1-2, 1 NC in his last three bouts. His only win in the stretch came against Cody Gibson who is seated in a bit of a hot seat himself. Cameron has to be careful here. So does Aoriqlleng, who is a 5-year vet of the promotion. He’s 4-5, 1 NC with the UFC. This fight is one of the numerous fights that could be made for a guy like Cameron Smootherman. This division is deep; fans should expect any name here. But Smootherman can’t necessarily afford another loss.

Smotherman’s next fight: Aoriqileng

Carlston Harris

Jake Matthews turned in an excellent body of work in the form of a unanimous decision victory over Carlston Harris on the main card of UFC Macau on Saturday. Jake’s striking was just too much for Carlston who has now lost three in a row and is 4-4 in the UFC since being signed in 2021. Worth mentioning here, but Jake was originally supposed to face Muslim Salikohv before his opponent withdrew from the bout.

Carlston’s next fight should be against Nicloas Dalby. Certainly couldn’t make the case for it to be the absolute best person for Harris to fight but, it’s not absurd. Nicolas turns 42 later this year, while Carlston turns 39 next month. Dalby has had a 10-year stint with the UFC and his 8-5-1, 1 NC during the stint. Nicolas is 1-2 in his last three with his most recent fight being a split decision victory over Saygid Izagakhmaev in November of 2025. Dalby was supposed to take on Jerimah Wells on May 16th before an injury forced him out of the bout. Wells actually faced and was submitted by Harris in the pair’s bout in 2023. Fight could make a lot of sense in this context.

Decent backup would be Victor Valenzuela who is 1-0 with the UFC against Max Griffin, who is no longer with the promotion.

Harris’s next fight: Nicolas Dalby or Victor Valenzuela

(#11) Alex Perez and (#NR) Sumudaerji

The main card of UFC Macau opened with a truly gruesome scene for viewers as the first bout resulted in a no contest after a low blow. Perez was left heaving over a bucket after repeated fouls by Sumudaerji. This was an important matchup as Alex Perez took on an unranked and surging, Sumudaerji- who was riding a 3-fight win streak heading into the cage. Perez, on the other hand, was 1-2 in his last three and coming off of missing weight but getting a victory over Charles Johnson (the last man to defeat Sumudaerji).

This would be a decent one for the promotion to run back.

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Pavlovich entered ranked #3 in the heavyweight division and having competed for an interim title in 2023; the towering Teixeira had entered the rankings in the #15 spot and was taking a big step up.

Teixeira learned a hard lesson about taking big steps up in competition on Saturday. Almost immediately, the Russian landed a right hand that had a lot on it. Teixeira stayed upright, but was clearly hurt. A second right hand wobbled, a third connected more on the forearm, but Teixeira went down anyway. The follow-up punches, a series of left hands, were enough for the ref to move in and wave things off.

Teixeira didn’t look thrilled with the stoppage after the fact, but it was hard to argue given how bad the visual was. Pavlovich wasn’t about the stop, and while he has been overlooked with Tom Aspinall out, Ciryl Gane fighting Alex Pereira, and Josh Hokit’s quick rise, he made a statement at UFC Macau, reminding heavyweights that he remains a player in the weight class.

“Dana, give me the title shot, or at least give me a contender fight,” Pavlovich said following the win, addressing UFC CEO and President Dana White.

Official Result: Sergei Pavlovich def. Tallison Teixeira by KO (punches), Round 1, 0:39

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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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