UFC knockout king Derrick Lewis stuns undefeated phenom in 35 seconds

Originally posted on MMA on SI | By Drew Beaupre | Last updated Jul 13, 2025 12:21 AM ET

(Zuffa LLC)

UFC Nashville was headlined by a huge heavyweight clash between hard-hitting knockout artists Derrick Lewis and Tallison Teixeira.

The UFC's all-time leader in knockouts, Lewis added to his promotional record in his lone outing of 2024 when "The Black Beast" stopped Rodrigo Nascimento in the main event of UFC St. Louis.

The 40-year-old was given a tough assignment in Nashville, as Teixeira came into the night with an undefeated record after impressively winning his UFC debut against Justin Tafa in just 35 seconds at UFC 312.

(Zuffa LLC)

Derrick Lewis Runs Through Tallison Teixeira

Closing out an action-packed UFC Nashville card, the headlining fight between Lewis and Teixeira followed a welterweight co-main event where Gabriel Bonfim narrowly defeated Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson via split decision.

HERE WE GO @TheBeast_UFC vs Tallison Teixeira #UFCNashville LIVE NOW on @ESPN and @ESPNPlus! pic.twitter.com/rPetyuMsmU
— UFC (@ufc) July 13, 2025

The two heavyweights wasted no time before they started throwing huge shots, and after Lewis appeared to hurt his eye during an early exchange "The Black Beast" exploded forward with some massive counter swings that put Teixeira on the back foot.

A left hand sent Teixeira toppling to the canvas, and while the Brazilian did well to survive a huge series of ground shots he still continued absorbing punishment from Lewis as they stood up before referee Jason Herzog stepped in to end things.

DERRICK LEWIS FAULT @TheBeast_UFC | #UFCNashville pic.twitter.com/gCsU2fsbfy
— UFC (@ufc) July 13, 2025

Teixeira protested the stoppage, but Lewis immediately ran off to the center of the cage to hit his signature celebration and also toss his fight shorts into the Nashville crowd.

HERE HE GOES @TheBeast_UFC | #UFCNashville pic.twitter.com/PB986dr8Rz
— UFC (@ufc) July 13, 2025

"The Black Beast" delivered another one of his iconic post-fight interviews with Daniel Cormier following the win, and after adding to his record-number of UFC knockouts Lewis now finds himself riding a win streak for the first time since 2021.