After a three-month training camp, Derrick Lewis almost looked emotional as he made his return to the cage for the first time since May of last year. Across the octagon from him stood the gigantic knockout artist Tallison Teixeira, who had never been out of the first round in his entire career.

Derrick Lewis vs. Tallison Teixeira Heavyweight bout earlier tonight (Sat. July 12, 2025) live on ESPN inside Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee.

Tallison Teixeira lived up to expectations in his UFC debut. Touted by many as a big prospect in the heavyweight division, Teixeira (8-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) only needed 35 second to log his first UFC win. The Brazilian quickly stopped veteran Justin Tafa with a nasty elbow to the nose and then some follow-up shots in February at UFC 312.

Tallison Teixeira believes he can be the one to unseat Tom Aspinall, as long as one of his fellow countrymen doesn't do it