With just one UFC fight under his belt, Tallison Teixeira entered Saturday’s UFC Fight Night main event looking to break into the heavyweight top 10. Teixeira was given a rude awakening by the UFC’s greatest knockout artist, Derrick Lewis, who finished Teixeira with strikes in just 35 seconds.
From the opening moments, the heavyweights were swinging heavy shots. A jab from the long arms of 6-foot-7 Teixeira stunned Lewis in the opening seconds, with Lewis showing signs that a finger or knuckle had gotten into his eye.
Despite the potential eye poke, Lewis showed his trademark finishing power, connecting with a left hook that dropped Teixeira to the canvas. Lewis continued the assault on the ground before referee Jason Herzog called off the fight just as Teixeira reached his feet — though with the aid of illegally grabbing the cage.
With the win, Lewis extended is UFC record for the most knockouts in promotion history. Teixeira was the 15th time Lewis had stopped an opponent with strikes.
“I just knew he’d been fighting tomato cans his whole career,” Lewis said of his attitude as he entered the fight with an unproven opponent.
The result gives a long-time fan favorite a big win to stay relevant but leaves the future of the heavyweight division in a complicated position.
Tom Aspinall was recently promoted from interim to undisputed champion after Jon Jones retired with the belt. Aspinall needs intriguing challengers in a division that is very much in transition.
Rather than Teixeira emerging as a potential future threat, Lewis remains a relevant name in the division at 40 years old and with two failed bids to win UFC gold (interim and undisputed).
Lewis is also just 3-4 since 2022, though his popularity may be enough to land him an eventual fight with Aspinall.
