The promotion’s seventh trip to Nashville had an “Old Guard vs New Gen” type of feeling to it. The card’s top three fights saw veterans Derrick Lewis, Stephen Thompson and Calvin Kattar all go up against younger fighters on the come up with only “The Black Beast” being victorious. Let’s break down who the winners at UFC Nashville should face next!

Derrick Lewis

Another fight, another knockout for the now 40-year-old “Black Beast.” This type of card is what Lewis is perfect for. Aside from a few exceptions here and there, he’s always been a guaranteed highlight and a fan-favourite everywhere he goes. After fighting for the belt twice, it’s now clear that Lewis’ title contention days are behind him, but that doesn’t mean we can’t still find heavyweights for him to clash with. I could see the UFC just re-book the Jhonata Diniz matchup from last November, but I prefer the winner of the upcoming Martin Buday vs Marcus “Buchecha” Almeida fight coming up in two weeks.

Lewis’ next fight: Buday/Buchecha winner

Gabriel Bonfim

The youngster Bonfim may have got the nod from two of the three judges sitting cage side on Saturday, but the overall sentiment from the fans is that he lost the fight. The Verdict fan-scoring as well as 12 of 14 media members on MMA Decisions scored the fight for Wonderboy. This win will propel Bonfim into the rankings, but I doubt his performance will earn him another ranked name right away. He will instead have to defend his spot against an unranked, lesser-known fighter. That’s why I have him facing the winner of the Muslim Salikhov vs Carlos Leal fight on the Abu Dhabi card later this month.

Bonfim’s next fight: Salikhov/Leal winner

Steve Garcia

Heading into UFC Nashville, Garcia was on a 5-fight win streak entering this contest with all five wins coming by knockout. Though Kattar wasn’t able to get the victory, his insane toughness made sure Garcia’s KO streak stopped there. Garcia took advantage of a post-knee surgery Kattar to earn 30-27s across the board. After taking out one staple of the featherweight rankings of the past half-decade, let’s see if he can take out another one in Josh Emmett. Kattar and Emmett have a lot of common as opponents for Garcia, let’s see if the 33-year-old can keep his streak going.

Garcia’s next fight: Josh Emmett

Morgan Charrière

After waiting for a perfect counter shot for the first two rounds, Charrière came out like a bat out of hell for the third to KO Nate Landwehr just 27 seconds into the round. This was an important knockout for the Frenchman in two ways. First off, it’s restorative for his reputation as his performance against Nathaniel Wood in March left a bad taste in some fans’ mouths. Secondly, it means there’s a good chance he’ll be able to make the turnaround to September 6^th for the annual Paris card. As for his opponent, there’s a list of names that could be interesting, but I ultimately landed on Julian Erosa, who’s a good test for anyone. “Juicy J” is a veteran of the game who’s been super active as of late and isn’t afraid of a challenge.

Charrière’s next fight: Julian Erosa

Vitor Petrino

I’m not sure what to think of Petrino as a heavyweight. He used to be a bright spot at light-heavyweight, but back-to-back losses in 2024 to Anthony Smith and Dustin Jacoby saw his stock plummet. The move to heavyweight seemed a bit desperate, but he did look like he actually took the time to bulk up. He wasn’t exactly facing top tier competition in Austen Lane at UFC Nashville, but he finished him inside one round like he was expected to. Since I’m still unsure about what we have in Petrino at heavyweight, let’s give him another fighter in that same tier. Mohammed Usman seems like a good second test for the Brazilian in his new division.

Petrino’s next fight: Mohammed Usman

Tuco Tokkos

After dropping his first two UFC bouts to undefeated prospect last year, Tokkos was probably fighting for his job against Junior Tafa. The Englishman not only pulled off the win, but he did it via finish. After going 5-for-9 on takedowns, Tokkos finally secured the rear-naked choke in the second round. For as much as I think there aren’t a ton of unranked names at 205lbs for Tokkos to fight, I also think you can’t go wrong when booking him. So why not Ivan Erslan? A man who is in the same position as Tokkos was entering this fight: 0-2 in the promotion and probably fighting for his job.

Tokkos’ next fight: Ivan Erslan

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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 made short work of Tallison Teixeira in a wild but brief slugfest that saw him swinging for the fences after absorbing a Teixeira punch that appeared to blur the heavyweight behemoth’s vision. Still, when Lewis connects clean, it’s often lights out, and Teixeira did hit the canvas – though he would make it back up, thanks to a blatant fence grab. The ref, however, would stop the bout on the feet.

There wasn’t too much controversy in the end, given how hard Teixeira went down, but perhaps that was enough to shun Lewis come bonus time. Instead, Fatima Kline, who finished off Melissa Martinez with a head kick, and Valter Walker, who landed his third(!) straight heel hook submission, earned Performance of the Night bonuses at UFC Nashville.

Fight of the Night went to Morgan Charriere and Nate Landwehr, who put on a thrilling battle for two rounds before France’s Charriere finally connected early in round three. Swinging with wild, looping hooks, Charriere connected, Landwehr slumped down against the fence, and that was all she wrote.

All four bonus-winners at UFC Nashville will pocket $50,000 U.S. for their efforts, on top of their regular purse, outfitting pay, and any other discretionary bonuses.

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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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Kattar, once considered a title hopeful in the UFC‘s 145lb division, had lost four straight, while Garcia was on a tear, coming into the bout on the strength of five straight victories. Garcia had the chance to extend both streaks, while Kattar was looking to end both his and Garcia’s in turn.

The opening minute found Garcia pressing the action and making Kattar fight off the back foot. A head kick from Garcia almost landed but was blocked. Kattar then threatened with a quick jab looking to keep Garcia at distance. A straight left hand and body kick found a home for Garcia in a nice combination midway through the round. Garcia continued to walk down Kattar in the southpaw stance. A spinning wheel kick from Garcia narrowly missed the target but was thrown with intent to end the fight. Garcia showcased his dynamic striking in the first round working combinations to the body and head, out-striking Kattar in the opening five minutes.

Both fighters started out cautiously in the opening seconds of round two. Garcia blitzed forward with a flurry of punches forcing Kattar to retreat towards the fence. Kattar circled to the outside and tried to move back to the center of the cage. Garcia threw a wild left hook that missed and was countered by an overhand right from Kattar. Garcia ate the shot well continuing to move forward. This was a very technical battle from two of the most game strikers in the Featherweight division. In the final minute of the round two, Garcia was again leading in terms of total strikes, imploring a tremendous pace.

Entering the final five minutes Garcia was well ahead in the contest two rounds to none. Kattar needed a finish to earn a victory in the third. Garcia landed a huge left hand that dropped Kattar and hurt him badly. A kick body forced Kattar to the fence as he tried to survive. Garcia was looking to earn his sixth knockout in a row. Kattar was able to survive the onslaught, but was getting picked apart on the feet. A counter left hook on the inside landed for Garcia, as blood ran from the nose of Kattar. In the final thirty seconds Kattar attempted a spinning backfist that missed. The final bell sounded as the Nashville crowd cheered for this tremendous fight. Going to the judges scorecards it seemed as if Garcia was ahead by a wide margin.

All three judges scored the fight unanimously for Steve Garcia as he beat a respected veteran and longtime contender in Kattar. Garcia called Calvin “tough as nails,” adding “It was an honor to compete against him.” This was a dominant performance from Garcia who showed he could go 15 minutes in victory, earning his sixth in a row.

Official Result: Steve Garcia def. Calvin Kattar by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

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Petrino had started his career putting together an 11-0 run as a light heavyweight, but had dropped back-to-back fights against Anthony Smith an Dustin Jacoby prior to Saturday.

Lane, still best known as one of Greg Hardy’s early opponents in MMA and a former football player himself, opened the fight with a number of kicks. Petrino caught one just past a minute in, however, dumping Lane and climbing on top. Petrino quickly moved to full mount, and started working on an arm-triangle choke. Vitor couldn’t step over to finish the submission, however, instead loosening his grip and landing shots to the body. Petrino then postured up, opened up, rained down ground n’ pound, then took the back and went after the rear-naked choke! Lane fought the hands for a moment, but didn’t last much longer than that, tapping with both hands with nowhere else to go.

Falling to 1-4 in his last five fights, Lane’s days in the UFC may be numbered. As for Vitor Petrino, he found the result he wanted in a move to a new weight class, and should get a decent step up in competition moving forward.

Official Result: Vitor Petrino def. Austen Lane by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 1, 4:16

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Curtis, a longtime MMA vet and fan favorite, literally sprinted to the cage during his walkout, showing he wasn’t overly drained after making the move down from 185lbs. Both fighters entered the night off losses, Griffin to Michael Chiesa, Curtis to Roman Kopylov, and Brendan Allen before that.

Griffin worked from the outside early, circling and looking to keep Curtis at the end of his punches. While the first 90 seconds or so were a feeling out process, Curtis felt one blow most of all: a grazing low kick that just caught the cup, and led to a time out. After a brief pause, Curtis then began complaining about a head clash, only for the ref to tell him to fight on. Griffin stayed right on him, bullying Curtis up to the fence. Curtis would eventually break free, with the next few minutes playing out at range, both fighters landing a couple of decent blows. One final clinch, and they headed off to the second.

Round two saw Curtis and Griffin pick up where they left off, with Curtis landing a solid left inside of a minute. Griffin was a bit slower than he’d looked in the first, but went on the attack about a minute in, only to get tagged hard by Griffin. Suddenly, Curtis was coming on, firing some heavy power shots as Griffin bobbed and weaved. Griffin had a trickle of blood along the hairline now. With two minutes still on the clock, Griffin tied Curtis up by the fence, much to the displeasure of the Nashville crowd, given the lack of action that ensued. Curtis would manage to free himself, and walk down a backpedaling Griffin. The final minute saw another series of exchanges, with Curtis landing a few, but missing on some even bigger shots.

Max Griffin opened round three with a high kick, blocked by Curtis, who was soon ripping the body. Griffin then retreated and regrouped, before working from the outside. Griffin ripped a kick to the body, while Curtis relied as he often does on his boxing. Near the midway mark of the round, Griffin fired off a combo punctuated with a high kick. Curtis, however, ripped the body again, hurting Griffin. Curtis suddenly had Griffin hemmed in against the fence, with Max “Pain” having slowed a step. Curtis would press in the final minute, though Griffin was there with a body kick. They’re trade to the horn, then await the judges’ decision after 15 hard-fought minutes.

Official Result: Chris Curtis def. Max Griffin by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)

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The fight found Njokuani on a three-fight winning streak since moving down to 170-pounds, while Matthews had been victorious in his last two outings, having most recently defeated Francisco Prado.

Njokuani started things off with a few damaging kicks to the body before Matthews engaged in the clinch. Matthews dragged Chidi to the ground and expertly took back control. As Njokuani rose to his feet Matthews snuck in a rear naked choke submission that was extremely tight. Doing the best he could to survive, Njokuani tried to shake Matthews off of him, but the choke was in too tight forcing a tap. Matthews showed his well-rounded ability in this contest taking the rangy striker off of his feet to propel himself to victory. This was the 22nd fight in the UFC for Matthews, who ended the fight in a minute and nine seconds.

This was one of the most impressive performances of Matthews’ career. Always humble in victory and giving Njokuani plenty of credit, Matthews should get a ranked opponent in his next outing, as he has now earned his third victory in a row.

Official Result: Jake Matthews def. Chidi Njokuani by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 1, 1:09

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Murphy had not competed since 2023, when she came up short against Jessica Andrade. Injury and illness including a staph infection kept her out since, and now 41, Murphy was prepared to hang up the gloves.

All of a minute in, and Murphy had landed the first takedown of the fight, timing her level change perfectly. Moura, 10 years her junior, popped right back up however, then converted a takedown of her own. In Moura’s case, she was able to earn some control time, and was active on top, looking to improve her position. Murpy would make it back to her feet, about two minutes left on the clock. Moura looked the sharper fighter there, connecting with a right hand, low kick, and push kick.

Round two saw Moura land an early calf kick that almost took Murphy off her feet; despite Murphy faltering, the kick was more well-placed than powerful. Murphy continued to walk forward, but had to block a head kick and contend with some crisp striking from the Brazilian. Murphy would hold her own on the feet, but her corner was calling for takedowns; instead, Moura landed one with about 90 seconds left in the frame. Murphy was back up quick, but Moura stayed on her, driving her into the fence.

The third and final round, the final five rounds (or less) of Lauren Murphy’s career, found her looking to press forward again. Eduarda Moura, however, had the edge in speed, and power. Murphy’s advantage was arguably in the wrestling, and she tied things up early, getting a takedown under 90 seconds in. And from there, Murphy locked up a very tight guillotine! Moura rolled out, appearing to use her opponent’s shirt to do so. Murphy held on however, and went after the choke a second time! Again Moura freed herself, but not before eating a knee. Murphy began walking Moura down, doubling up on her jab.

Another takedown attempt by Murphy saw Moura pull free. The former title challenger  continued to press right through the final minute. She could not, however, find a finish, coming closest with the guillotine earlier in the round. Murphy finished the fight landing one last punch square on Moura’s chin, but it was Moura dancing and celebrating after 15 minutes. No storybook ending for the returning Murphy, but a great effort nonetheless.

Official Result: Eduarda Moura def. Lauren Murphy by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

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Both fighters came in with 1-1 records under the UFC banner; both entered Saturday’s strawweight contest off their first win inside the octagon.

Kline took center early and pressed the action in Saturday’s curtain-jerker, taking the fight to Martinez and forcing her to circle on the outside. Kline attacked with low kicks, jabs, kicks to the body, and combinations, displaying solid footwork and keeping Martinez guessing. When Martinez fired back with a kick of her own, she spun around like a top, out of position, but quickly regained her composure. Martinez would get off some better kicks are the round progressed, firing to the body. What should could not get off, however, was the fence. Kline was also the busier fighter, landing more impactful strikes even as Martinez took some big swings.

Kline would clinch up briefly with a minute left in the round, but Martinez pulled free almost immediately. That was followed by a solid jab or two from Fatima Kline, who was off to a good start after five minutes.

Round two saw the pair clinch up early, with Kline looking for a takedown and Martinez defending. Martinez did stay upright, but was forced to eat some knees to the body for her efforts. When she finally extricated herself, she was under fire from Kline, who just seemed a step ahead of Martinez in all areas. “Super Mely,” however, did manage to land a solid kick to the body, though Kline was able to do the same, followed by another in kind from Martinez. Martinez would also connected with a left hand, then a right, forcing Kline to clinch up again. A closer round, though Fatima Kline likely had the edge once again.

Kline went on the attack again to start round three, but Melissa Martinez was ready, popping off an uppercut on the counter. Martinez was almost certainly in need of a finish, however, and whether she’d find the opening was a big question. Martinez briefly caught a kick, but couldn’t dump Kline. And after getting her back off the fence a little more in the back half of round two, she was hemmed in again early in the third.

The finish would come, however. It just wasn’t Melissa Martinez landing it. Instead, Fatima Kline fired off a high kick after connecting with a right hand, her shin connecting clean on Martinez’s face. Martinez hit the canvas, and Kline landed a few follow-up strikes before the ref waved it off. Huge win for Kline, and a huge way to kick off UFC Nashville.

Official Result: Fatima Kline def. Melissa Martinez by TKO (head kick and strikes), Round 3, 2:36

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