UFC Nashville: Lewis vs. Teixeira Fight Card, Predictions, & Odds

Ranked UFC heavyweight contenders Derrick Lewis and Tallison Teixeira will headline the UFC Nashville card on July 12 inside the Bridgestone Arena for the chance to improve their MMA odds to crack a shot at the coveted title.

Lewis, despite being a former UFC heavyweight and interim heavyweight title challenger, will be the +220 betting underdog, while Teixeira, who only has one win in the promotion, is going to be the -280 betting favorite.

UFC Nashville: Lewis vs. Teixeira Odds

• Derrick Lewis: +220
• Tallison Teixeira: -280

UFC Nashville: Lewis vs. Teixeira: Prediction

With Lewis’ age at 40, I predict that Teixeira would get the TKO/KO finish against him in under two rounds. Additionally, given his 4-inch reach advantage, he can certainly find the mark to potentially end the match early.

This match will be an interesting clash of knockout specialists. Still, I believe that Teixeira’s youth will be the main difference and will play a massive role in securing the victory against the former title challenger.

The key for Teixeira is to avoid the early barrage from Lewis because once he lands a clean punch, it could also shut his lights out with one strike. He needs to evade Lewis’ aggression and tire him out by dodging his attacks. This way, he would significantly slow him down and reduce his power.

Meanwhile, Lewis’ best route to victory is to put pressure on his Brazilian foe and swarm him with combinations until he lands a vicious one. But at this stage of his career, I doubt that he’ll be the same fighter that he was three years ago.

Derrick Lewis’ Recent Fight Results

Lewis was a former LFC champion when he joined the UFC in 2014. He had a successful debut in the promotion with a first-round stoppage win over Jack May. Then he won 11 of his next 14 fights to earn a title shot in November 2018.

“The Black Beast” challenged Daniel Cormier at UFC 230, but came up short with a second-round submission loss. Since that defeat, he remained a ranked contender in the division and set the record for the most TKO/KO finishes in UFC history with 15.

Tallison Teixeira’s Recent Fight Results

Teixeira is an up-and-coming heavyweight contender in the UFC, who has an undefeated record of 8-0 with a 100% finish rate. His route to the UFC was through Dana White’s Contender Series in September with a first-round knockout finish against Arthur Lopes.

That incredible victory instantly earned him a spot on the UFC roster. He made his octagon debut last February against Justin Tafa at UFC 312 and scored another vicious stoppage win in the opening round to make his way into the top 10 rankings.

UFC Nashville: Lewis vs. Teixeira: Tale of the Tape

UFC Nashville: Lewis vs. Teixeira Fight Card

• Derrick Lewis vs. Tallison Teixeira, heavyweight match
• Stephen Thompson vs. Gabriel Bonfim, welterweight match
• Calvin Kattar vs. Steve Garcia, featherweight match
• Nate Landwehr vs. Morgan Charriere, featherweight match
• Vitor Petrino vs. Austen Lane, heavyweight match
• Junior Tafa vs. Tuco Tokkos, light heavyweight match
• Max Griffin vs. Chris Curtis, welterweight match
• Jake Matthews vs. Chidi Njokuani, welterweight match
• Lauren Murphy vs. Eduarda Moura, women’s flyweight match
• Kennedy Nzechukwu vs. Valter Walker, heavyweight match
• Mitch Ramirez vs. Mike Davis, lightweight match
• Fatima Kline vs. Melissa Martinez, women’s strawweight match