Derrick Lewis stops Tallison Teixeira in 35 seconds in UFC Nashville main event

Bridgestone Arena in the heart of Nashville hosted Saturday's UFC on ESPN: Lewis vs. Teixeira fight card. The event was headlined by a heavyweight bout between No. 9 Derrick Lewis and No. 13 ranked Tallison Teixeira. 

It had been 14 months since Lewis last fought heading into Saturday's showdown. Coming off a TKO win over Rodrigo Nascimento in May 2024, Lewis was looking to put together back-to-back wins. 

Teixeira made the walk to the octagon riding an undefeated 8-0 record with seven wins by knockout. He made his octagon debut in February knocking out Justin Tafa in 35 seconds after appearing on Dana White's Contender Series.  

Lewis connected with a right hand. A follow up left sent Teixeira crashing other the canvas. Lewis kept the pressure on and following the Brazilian to the ground. Lewis hammered away with punches. Teixeira worked to get to his feet but was badly hurt. His legs weren't under him. The referee stepped in to stop the fight. The official time of the stoppage was 0:35 of the first round.

Lewis entered the fight confident feeling it was too soon in Teixeira's career for him to be facing top 10 ranked fighters and headlining fight cards. 

"I just knew he had been fighting tomato cans all career," Lewis said in his post-fight interview. 

Immediately after the win, Lewis took off his fight shorts and threw them into the audience. He did the same thing with his protective cup.