A clash of behemoths takes over Nashville as the UFC has booked Tallison Teixeira vs Derrick Lewis in the main event of their upcoming event.
Derrick Lewis and Tallison Teixeira are headlining an intriguing card, booked just one week away from UFC 318, in Nashville, Tennessee.
The UFC’s all-time knockout record holder will battle one of the biggest men in the UFC today, in what should be a titanic clash of epic proportions for fans to enjoy.
Ahead of UFC Nashville, the experts at Bloody Elbow have made their staff picks for the two main event fights, as well as the Performance of the Night and the Fight of the Night.
Derrick Lewis vs Tallison Teixeira predictions
- Jordan Ellis – Tallison Teixeira
- Kyle Dimond – Tallison Teixeira
- James Sweetnam – Tallison Teixeira
- Ross Markey – Tallison Teixeira
The Bloody Elbow experts have made their staff picks for the upcoming UFC Nashville main event, and have unanimously chosen Teixeira to take home the win against a veteran of the octagon in Lewis.
The undefeated Brazilian has only had one fight in the UFC so far, but it was an impressive one. Teixeira landed a 35-second knockout to overcome Justin Tafa at UFC 312, and will hope to do similar here in Nashville.
However, it won’t be easy. Lewis has 23 knockout wins so far in his MMA career, although he has been very susceptible to defeat in the last few years.
Of Lewis’s seven career losses, five have come in the last four years, showing that his best years are behind him. The fight with Teixeira could be a bout too far, and the experts fully expect the six-foot-seven-inch Brazilian to win this fight at UFC Nashville.
Stephen Thompson vs Gabriel Bonfim predictions
- Jordan Ellis – Stephen Thompson
- Kyle Dimond – Stephen Thompson
- James Sweetnam – Stephen Thompson
- Ross Markey – Stephen Thompson
The co-main event of UFC Nashville also has a clear favorite, as the Bloody Elbow experts all back Stephen Thompson to pick up the victory.
While ‘Wonderboy’ may be in the last years of his career, the Karate master is still a force to be reckoned with. As one of the UFC’s oldest fighters at 42 years old, he will be looking towards retirement sooner rather than later after losing four of his last five bouts.
However, Thompson’s losses have all come against top fighters in the division, and he even knocked out Kevin Holland in December 2022.
Whether Gabriel Bonfim is a top talent or not has yet to be decided. While he has an impressive 17-1 record, he has not faced any big names in the UFC yet, with Thompson being his toughest test yet.
UFC Nashville Fight of the Night
- Jordan Ellis – Nate Landwehr vs Morgan Charriere
- Kyle Dimond – Nate Landwehr vs Morgan Charriere
- James Sweetnam – Junior Tafa vs Tuco Tokkos
- Ross Markey – Nate Landwehr vs Morgan Charriere
Three of the experts are looking forward to seeing Nate Landwehr vs Morgan Charriere, an undercard Featherweight fight which could be impressive in Nashville on Saturday.
The two former champions have both earned numerous bonuses in the past for their exciting styles, giving this fight the chance to impress on an already exciting card.
“The Last Pirate’s” last four wins have come via knockout, while Landwehr has only gone all three rounds once in his last four fights.
However, James thinks that Junior Tafa against Tuco Tokkos has the potential to earn the Fight of the Night Bonus.
Tafa is looking to improve on his mixed 2-3 record in the UFC so far, after picking up a win against Sean Sharaf to bounce back from two losses in a row.
Meanwhile, his opponent is still searching for his first UFC win after failing to impress in his first two fights. This could be the last chance saloon for Tokkos, giving both men big motivation to give it their all in their fight.
UFC Nashville Performance of the Night
- Jordan Ellis – Vitor Petrino
- Kyle Dimond – Steve Garcia
- James Sweetnam – Vitor Petrino
- Ross Markey – Steve Garcia
The experts are split on who will pick up the Performance of the Night bonus, with two men in the running for the $50,000 bonus.
Steve Garcia is backed by Kyle and Ross to impress in his Featherweight contest against Calvin Kattar on the main card. He is coming off five victories in a row, which included two performance of the night bonuses for epic first-round KO victories.
His opponent has lost his last four fights, making the result of this fight seem more like a formality. He should easily dispatch Kattar and earn the Performance of the Night bonus if he can keep up his recent form.
Meanwhile, both Jordan and James think that Vitor Petrino will finish Dejuan Lane to earn himself the cash prize for the best performance at UFC Nashville.
The Brazilian started his UFC career well, but suffered back-to-back defeats in recent fights and will hope to bounce back convincingly against Dejuan Lane.
He was knocked out by Mario Pinto back in March and could suffer the same fate at the hands of Petrino at UFC Nashville.