Tallison Teixeira by no means dreamt of being on this place so early in his profession, headlining UFC Nashville towards knockout artist Derrick Lewis this Saturday in Nashville, and that would perpetually change his life.
The unbeaten 25-year-old prospect made quick work of Justin Tafa in his UFC debut this previous February, scoring a vicious 35-second knockout in enemy territory at UFC 312, and now will get Lewis as his subsequent project. Dealing with such a veteran in his second UFC look, reveals “the group has a ton of religion in me” and would definitely imply a large leap in heavyweight rankings with one other spectacular end.
“I’ve had already considered the potential of, in case I placed on an analogous efficiency now, I see myself preventing a top-5 as quickly as doable,” Teixeira instructed MMA Combating. “I believe that beating Derrick now, possibly subsequent is Sergei [Pavlovich] or Curtis Blaydes, a reputation like that. I actually wished Marcin Tybura however he already has a combat booked, so what can I do? It’s not doable.”
“I believe it’s a simple combat, to be sincere,” he mentioned when requested why Tybura subsequent. “I consider Derrick Lewis is likely one of the most harmful guys within the prime 10 due to his knockout energy, it’s absurd, and Tybura is the best. It’s good to become profitable, proper? I beat the tougher one [Lewis], I’d receives a commission the identical to beat the simpler one.
“I’m early in my profession. I used to be speaking to my supervisor, in case you beat the hardest ones now, while you begin to receives a commission extra you don’t have any one left to beat [laughs].”
Teixeira by no means went previous the primary spherical as knowledgeable, a formidable run of eight finishes since October 2021. The UFC deal got here with a two-minute destruction of Arthur Lopes at Dana White’s Contender Sequence in September 2024, with the beatdown of Tafa subsequent.
“I believe this combat [with Lewis] is an efficient alternative, a great match-up,” Teixeira mentioned. “He’s extra like a brawler, and I’m additionally the kind of man that don’t miss alternatives. I’ve been working my arms and I’ve good jiu-jitsu, good takedowns, so it’s a great match-up for me style-wise.
“I by no means count on a simple combat and all, however I all the time assume I’ll get the knockout or submission. I hardly say, ‘Rattling, this one will go to a choice. I all the time give my all, ? And I do know I’ve nice knockout energy in my arms. I see myself ending Derrick Lewis within the first or second rounds. I don’t see it going to the third or fourth rounds. I believe I’ll finish him within the first or second.”
Tom Aspinall was lastly named undisputed UFC heavyweight champion with Jon Jones asserting his retirement from the game, which implies the belt must be placed on the road after an extended wait. With that in thoughts, and a prediction of electrical finishes forward, Teixeira sees championship success in 2026.
“Now that Jon Jones has retired, and the division is lastly rolling, I count on to be preventing for the belt earlier than the tip of subsequent 12 months,” Teixeira mentioned. “Combat Derrick now, and I hope to combat yet one more time this 12 months, and subsequent 12 months I’ll be preventing for the belt. I need to make historical past on this group, ? I believe I’ve the potential to try this, and it’s all about working laborious to get there.”
“I believe the one one that would cease [Aspinall] proper now could be ‘Malhadinho,’” mentioned Teixeira, referring to Jailton Almeida. “I don’t see [Ciryl] Gane beating him. I don’t assume Sergei wins both. So I believe the probably to win could be ‘Malhadinho’. It’s good that the belt would come to Bahia by some means. If ‘Malhadinho’ doesn’t take his belt, I obtained it.”
Teixeira was only a 10-year-old child when “The Black Beast” entered a MMA cage for the primary time as knowledgeable in 2010, they usually now share the octagon in the principle occasion of UFC Nashville. For the Brazilian, a battle of youth versus expertise, an unbeaten rise towards stumbling heavyweight, play no issue when it’s time to commerce punches inside an octagon.
“To be sincere with you, I don’t assume any of us have this strain,” Teixeira mentioned. “Man, he stands within the octagon on an underwear. I don’t assume he cares an excessive amount of about this [laughs]. And myself, despite the fact that it’s a primary occasion and it’s one thing crucial, my head works rather well with that. I see it as simply one other combat. I don’t really feel like, ‘Oh, it’s a primary occasion, it’s a really skilled man.’
“It’s only one extra combat, simply one other adversity I’ve to get previous as a way to get the place I would like. Earlier than I stroll out I believe it’s simply one other Saturday and there’s a brand new heavyweight within the health club and now we have to spar, and there some folks watching. That makes me really feel extra relaxed after I get contained in the octagon. Combating is already an enormous accountability. You’re within the octagon with an individual that plans to kill you. That strain is nice already. Aside from that, it’s all good.”
