Derrick Lewis unleashes his beast mode on Tallison Teixeira
The Bridgestone Arena erupted on a thrilling fight night as Derrick ‘The Black Beast’ Lewis delivered a lightning-fast knockout, solidifying his legendary status in the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s heavyweight division. In a highly anticipated main event, Lewis swiftly dispatched Tallison Teixeira in merely 35 seconds of the opening round, further cementing his record for the most knockouts (16) in UFC history.
From the opening bell, Lewis demonstrated his signature power. Despite a brief moment where Teixeira managed to land a shot, Lewis quickly recovered and unleashed a devastating left hand that sent his opponent crashing to the canvas.
The referee wasted no time in stopping the contest, ensuring Teixeira’s safety and marking a decisive victory for Lewis. This impressive performance secured back-to-back wins for Lewis against promising Brazilian contenders, highlighting his continued dominance and unwavering power inside the octagon.
Beyond the Beast
The night’s excitement wasn’t limited to the main event. The co-main event saw a closely contested battle where Gabriel Bonfim edged out Stephen Thompson, the oldest active fighter in the promotion, via split decision.
Thompson and Bonfim followed an action-packed main card, which saw three consecutive bouts end via finish, before Steve Garcia extended his winning run to six fights with a unanimous decision over Calvin Kattar. The opening few minutes of the fight saw both fighters exchanging leg kicks, but Bonfim’s shots did most of the damage. The Brazilian then initiated a successful takedown, which rattled Thompson, but he was able to get back on his feet eventually. With the crowd backing homeboy Thompson to the fullest, Bonfim attempted multiple takedowns but found little success.
Bonfim, in the final round, was able to dominate towards the end as he pinned Thompson along the fence. The 27-year-old’s efforts were enough to get the nod from two out of the three judges and take a split decision for his third straight victory.
The Reaper is back!
The UFC is set to deliver a highly anticipated middleweight clash as Robert Whittaker prepares to face the surging Reinier de Ridder in the main event of UFC Abu Dhabi on July 26 at the Etihad Arena.
Robert Whittaker, a former UFC Middleweight Champion, will step back into the octagon looking to reassert his dominance.
His opponent, Reinier de Ridder, a decorated former two-division ONE Championship titleholder, has made an impressive splash in the UFC, accumulating an undefeated record since his debut last year.
De Ridder’s recent victory over Bo Nickal has further elevated his stock, making him a formidable challenge for ‘The Reaper’. The match-up promises a compelling clash of styles, with Whittaker’s precise striking facing de Ridder’s grappling skills — potentially shaping the future of the middleweight division.
