What Derrick Lewis said to Trump after knockout win at UFC Nashville
The post-victory celebration has become a calling card for UFC all-time knockout leader Derrick Lewis.
But despite a handful of now-legendary moments in the aftermath of his previous wins, none has topped what followed his highlight-reel first-round knockout over undefeated Tallison Teixeira in the main event of UFC's Fight Night from Nashville on July 12 at Bridgestone Arena.
After his signature pound against the canvas and stripping of the shorts, Lewis hopped on the phone with President Donald Trump, thanks to some assistance from UFC CEO Dana White.
"(It ranks) probably No. 1," Lewis said of the celebration. "Just because the president had called me. We started talking about business and I told him wait until I get to the White House and we'll really talk. It was pretty cool to have the president talk to me."
Lewis (29-12) made his case to feature on a proposed summer 2026 UFC card that White and Trump are working to bring to the White House, an event virtually every fighter on the card expressed interest in being a part of.
White said while Trump wasn't able to attend Nashville's event in person, he was tuned in, and when Lewis asked White to put him on the phone, he did his part.
The celebration was in the aftermath of Lewis' record-extending 16th career UFC knockout, which came just 35 seconds into his bout against the 6-foot-7 Teixeira. Lewis had entered as an underdog after 14 months out of the octagon.
Teixeira (8-1) had begun his career with eight first-round finishes, but it was Lewis who blitzed him out of the gate, landing a thunderous left hand to the chin that sent Teixeira tumbling to the ground, where Lewis would finish the show.
"I was acting like something was in my eye and I was waiting for him to get a little closer," Lewis said in the post-fight news conference. "I was really trying to sell it . . . and that's what happened. I caught him."
It had been nearly two years since the UFC's previous trip to Nashville, and more than 17,000 fans packed into Bridgestone Arena to see the action, generating $2.2 million at the gate, according to White.
While Lewis hails from Houston, he believes the Nashville crowd rivals any he has fought in front of, including his hometown fans.
"It's crazy. It was too loud," he said. "It got louder than the Houston crowd, so it was pretty cool."
Nashville has emerged as a combat sports destination this summer, with the PFL's World Tournament in June before bare knuckle boxing debuted in Tennessee later that month. And White believes Nashville is a location the UFC will continually look to return to after another successful show.
"We will get back to Nashville as much as possible . . . (the fans) don't play here, man. If you start grappling for 30 seconds they go crazy," White said. "They want to see knockdown, drag 'em out fights here and (it's) obviously a very educated crowd. Everything about Nashville is fun, including the crowd."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNBC
22 minutes ago
- CNBC
CNBC Sport: Paramount makes a big bet before the U.S. sports media doldrums
A version of this article first appeared in the CNBC Sport newsletter with Alex Sherman, which brings you the biggest news and exclusive interviews from the worlds of sports business and media. Sign up to receive future editions, straight to your inbox. The big sports business news this week was Paramount's surprising $1.1 billion-per-year acquisition of UFC rights, starting in 2026 and running for seven years. Deal talks formally began with Paramount on June 3, but really heated up in a 48-hour period between Thursday and Sunday after Skydance closed its deal to acquire control of Paramount Global, according to Mark Shapiro , the president and chief operating officer of UFC parent TKO Group. "Their deal closed, and things changed," said Shapiro. Initially, TKO considered breaking up the UFC package for at least three media companies, selling the premium live events separately and splitting up the league's 30 Fight Nights to two or more other partners, Shapiro said. Paramount's bid was so strong that TKO Group changed course, selling all 43 events (13 premium numbered events and 30 Fight Nights) together to one buyer. Paramount is paying more than double the $500 million ESPN has spent annually for UFC rights the last five years. The success of the deal for Paramount will depend largely on how many subscribers come to its streaming service Paramount+ and decide to stick around. Even if Paramount overpaid, there's a symbolic message behind Paramount's bid. Paramount CEO David Ellison wants to show employees and investors the company is willing to spend while simultaneously identifying more than $2 billion in "cost synergies" (certain to include layoffs). Paramount will unveil the details of that plan during its next earnings call in November, executives told me at an on-the-record get together for a small group of reporters last week. The UFC deal pairs nicely with the company's recent decision to pay $1.5 billion for five more years of "South Park." From a messaging standpoint, those two big announcements right out of the gate are easily juxtaposed with Warner Bros. Discovery's immediate shut down of CNN+ and elimination of shows and movies from both its streaming service and theatrical slate – all in the first months after it merged Discovery and WarnerMedia in 2022. Those decisions put CEO David Zaslav on the back foot with investors and employees, and it's clear Ellison doesn't want to take the same approach. "You can't cut to grow," Ellison told me. "We have to invest into growth areas. That's studios, sports and streaming. You've now seen it with 'South Park' and UFC. We will invest in growth areas." But there's another sneaky reason Paramount spent so much here, to the delight of UFC executives. Major League Baseball will soon announce which media partners are taking over its Sunday Night Baseball package, which also includes the Home Run Derby and Wild Card playoff games, vacated by ESPN earlier this year. I'm told an announcement will likely come in about two weeks, but I've also heard that timeline at least twice before. In an interview with me on July 14, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said he hoped for a decision "within the next month" — and here we are still waiting. The U.S. Men's World Cup media rights after 2026 will come up for renewal soon. Deep-pocketed Netflix is a potential buyer, given it nailed down the Women's World Cup in 2027 and 2031. After that, we're about to enter a multiyear period of U.S. sports media rights doldrums. MLB and NHL rights are locked up until 2028. NFL rights are secured until at least 2030, unless the league decides to move up its renegotiation deadline. The NBA and WNBA's new 11-year media rights deal begins this coming season. F1 is likely heading to Apple TV+ . The WWE has long-term deals with NBCUniversal and Netflix, and it just added a new five-year agreement with ESPN for its premium live events. English Premier League has a deal with NBC Sports until 2028, and the MLS's deal with Apple is a 10-year contract that began in 2023 … Heck, even Versant – the soon-to-be parent company of CNBC, when it gets spun off from Comcast at the end of the year – just inked its first major media rights deal with the USGA through 2032. That made getting UFC extra important for Paramount. CBS Sports has a decent slate of sports already, including NFL Sunday afternoon games, The Masters, Big Ten football, NCAA March Madness, and the UEFA Champions League. But if Ellison wanted to showcase his willingness to spend on sports, UFC was basically his only chance. "As an operator, you can't wait," said Shapiro. "You've got to be ready to spend. If we're gone, what's left?" When I asked Ellison if the scarcity of sports rights factored into his thinking, he said, "Absolutely." "It's a unicorn asset that comes up once a decade," he said. On the record With Versant's new head of sports, Matt Hong ... Speaking of Versant, I spoke with Versant's new head of sports, Matt Hong , for his first interview since taking the job. I talked to him about Versant's sports acquisition strategy, which is unique among the major bidders for media rights because the company doesn't plan to have its own steaming strategy. He told me Versant would like NBCUniversal's Peacock to be its streaming partner when it makes sense, but it will also happily pair with other services depending on the deal. "All other things being equal, we'd like to continue to work with and partner with NBCU and Peacock going forward," said Hong. "I think one of the unique things about being separate public companies here soon is we'll be able to potentially partner with Peacock, but we'll also be able to partner with other third-party streamers in situations where a set of rights may or may not work for Peacock but we want them at Versant. We'll have the freedom to partner with some streamers that previously we didn't necessarily have the freedom to partner with." Hong also told me the company isn't interested in merging with another media entity that has sports rights. So you can forget about Versant joining up with Discovery Global, the company that houses TNT Sports, when Warner Bros. Discovery splits into two next year. "I don't know that we will merge with an entity that has sports rights, only because we have plenty of programming to help drive our linear business," said Hong. "I think the future will be inorganic acquisitions, which help diversify our revenue streams. And so it'll really be, continue to invest in our core linear business, and then looking for inorganic opportunities that complement that business." You can watch our entire conversation here . Or listen here and follow the CNBC Sport podcast if you prefer the audio version. This week's podcast comes with a bonus conversation with ESPN's Seth Wickersham, whose new book "American Kings: A Biography of the Quarterback" goes on sale Sept. 9. Wickersham spoke with John Elway , Steve Young, Tom Brady , Patrick Mahomes , Andrew Luck , Warren Moon , Caleb Williams , Arch Manning , and members of their families (and many others) about the mindset of the American quarterback and how it sometimes doesn't jive with regular life. It's a fascinating book full of psychological insights about people that play the most important position in professional U.S. sports. CNBC Sport highlight reel The best of CNBC Sport from the past week: Ellison also discussed what he called CBS Sports' "great" relationship with the NFL and the company's commitment to being partners with the league moving forward in an interview with CNBC's David Faber. USGA CEO Mike Whan discussed his league 's $95 million-per-year agreement with NBCUniversal and Versant in another TV interview with CNBC's Scott Wapner . The Portland Trail Blazers have a new owner . The NHL's Carolina Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon confirmed to CNBC he's "very excited" to buy the team from Paul Allen 's estate, according to CNBC's Jess Golden . Dundon wouldn't reveal how much he's paying, but CNBC's latest Official NBA Team Valuations listed the Trail Blazers at a value of $3.65 billion. Brooks Running reported global revenue that surged in the second quarter, but the company is still very concerned with tariffs. CEO Dan Sheridan joined CNBC's Brandon Gomez to discuss the quarter, consumer spending, fitness trends and how tariffs will lead to price hikes in 2026. ESPN and Fox announced a streaming bundle of their new direct-to-consumer services – both launch next week – for $39.99 per month. The bundle will be available on Oct. 2. Separately, Fox One and ESPN will cost $19.99 and $29.99 per month, respectively. CNBC's Lillian Rizzo has the details. New Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is backing a startup that's trying to facilitate the connection between athletes and potential sponsors and charities. Fanatics is starting a membership program , offering subscribers points for purchases across the company's various businesses that can be exchanged for apparel, merchandise and game tickets. Boardroom CEO Rich Kleiman stopped by CNBC's "Squawk Box" to discuss all of the big sports media news of the week and our upcoming co-sponsored September event in Los Angeles. Sign up for tickets now ! The big number: 37% I guess Paramount is a meme stock now? Maybe it's the UFC deal, maybe not, but the stock jumped a shocking 37% Wednesday. The float on the stock is a lot lower than it used to be now that Skydance Media (and the Ellison family) has acquired control. That makes it easier to see big swings in a given day. If it lasts, it also makes paying $1.1 billion a year for the UFC a lot easier to swallow! Quote of the week "I am a big UFC fan. I've been a fan of boxing since I was a kid." — Ellison told me he's a personal fan of both the UFC and boxing. Front Office Sports reported this week that Paramount is also the frontrunner to acquire the media rights for Zuffa Boxing, a startup boxing league co-founded by UFC CEO Dana White and Saudi official Turki Alalshikh . The first Zuffa Boxing match is scheduled for Sept. 13 , headlined by a match between Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford. Around the league Unlike the NBA's Blazers, MLB's Minnesota Twins won't be selling . Instead, the Pohlad family is selling minority stakes to two "significant limited partnership groups." Comcast has launched an NFL Sunday Ticket-like product for soccer fans. Dubbed "World Soccer Ticket," Xfinity customers can pay $85 a month for about 60 broadcast, cable news, and English- and Spanish-language sports channels and a subscription to Peacock Premium. This will give soccer fans a way to watch more than 1,500 matches from leagues around the globe, including Premier League, UEFA Champions League, Major League Soccer, LALIGA, and Liga MX. The US Open begins Aug. 18, and Venus Williams will be playing . She received a wild-card invitation Wednesday to compete in singles at 45 years old, making her the oldest competitor since Renée Richards was 47 in 1981, according to the International Tennis Federation.
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Lerone Murphy views Aaron Pico UFC 319 co-main event at No. 1 contender fight
CHICAGO – Lerone Murphy views his upcoming fight against UFC newcomer Aaron Pico as a title eliminator. The bout serves as the co-feature of UFC 319 (ESPN+ pay-per-view) at United Center, and Murphy (16-0-1 MMA, 8-0-1 UFC) is taking it as if he's fighting a top 5 opponent, even though Pico (13-4 MMA, 0-0 UFC) has never fought in the promotion. "I don't think rankings have anything to do with it," Murphy told reporters at media day. "Most of the time, they don't mean anything. So, everybody knows his level in the world, and he's got a big name, so for me, he's ranked No. 3, or wherever. That's how I'm looking at it. He's a solid opponent and a great matchup." Pico is the latest big name to come from the Bellator-PFL banner. Others who recently made the same move such as Patricio Freire and Patchy Mix, did not have success in their debuts. The infamous "octagon jitters" may have been a factor in their UFC debut setbacks, but Murphy isn't counting on that being the case with Pico. "Everybody is different, everybody handles pressure differently as well," Murphy said. "So, I'm not banking on that to happen, but it's a possibility. This is the biggest show in the world, and what an arena to make your debut. So yeah, that could play a factor. It could be a factor. This is the place to be, the UFC. "... You go back to the likes of Patchy Mix and stuff like that, I just think that comes down to matchup. Also, these other guys that have come over that have not performed may not have been in their prime. I think Aaron Pico's in his prime. So, I expect to see the best version of him." With a win, Murphy will have secured his second win in 2025, and his ninth overall under the UFC banner. Currently ranked No. 6 by the promotion in the featherweight division, Murphy believes a win here will elevate him to a shot against Alexander Volkanovski, because Pico was set to fight No. 1 contender Movsar Evloev before his withdrawal. "Beating Aaron Pico is going to put me in that No. 1 contender spot," Murphy said. "He was supposed to fight Movsar, like you know, and Movsar got hurt or sick or whatever happened. So, I'm the replacement now. This is a No. 1 contender fight."
Boston Globe
an hour ago
- Boston Globe
Providence's Bonded Vault robbery, 50 years later
I asked Tim to reflect on everything he's learned, and update us on whether we'll ever see a proper version of this story told on the big screen. Q: You're airing a special report at 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. on the 50th anniversary of the heist. What should viewers expect to see? Advertisement White: I've tracked down a lot of material over two decades of reporting on the heist, including a wild video of the lead gunman's alleged funeral. A while ago, someone leaked me another video of him discussing the caper – he was in witness protection at the time, so it was kept under wraps for years. Tonight's reports use WPRI archive video to retell how the heist went down, showcase its impact on Get Rhode Island News Alerts Sign up to get breaking news and interesting stories from Rhode Island in your inbox each weekday. Enter Email Sign Up Q: This story has had a decades-long shelf life, and you coauthored the definitive book on it. But I still wonder if readers today understand quite how seismic it was in the 1970s. Is this even the kind of heist that could happen today? Advertisement White: This heist shouldn't have happened then, to be honest – the gang of thieves that stormed 101 Cranston St. in Providence wasn't exactly the crew from 'Ocean's 11.' And what made it even more remarkable was that Bonded Vault was probably the safest place to hide ill-gotten gains in 1975, because it was controlled by the mob itself. But as we detailed in the book, the gang had the approval of the boss himself, the late Raymond L.S. Patriarca, though he always denied involvement. The case wound up leading to the longest and most expensive trial in state history, and had all sorts of other ripple effects. Q: Your father was obviously a legendary reporter, and you have a great story about how your family helped you land the scoop of a lifetime when you tracked down one of the leaders of the robbery. Tell us about that. White: My coauthors and I were struggling to figure out what happened to the lead gunman, Robert Dussault. The feds whisked him away after he testified for the government. In 2008, three years after Dad died, my mom brought me a box of stuff from her basement which included an empty envelope. The return address was from Colorado with a name I didn't recognize: Robert Dempsey. But I remembered Dad telling me Dussault was relocated and given a job at Coors Brewing. I figured out the return address was a prison, and records showed the inmate was dead. I used those documents to request Dempsey's FBI file, and nearly two years later I got a box in the mail with hundreds of pages. The top sheet: 'Robert Dussault a.k.a. Robert Dempsey.' It completed the story. If mom hadn't dropped off that box, I'm not sure we'd be doing this Q&A. Advertisement Q: You wrote the book about this, and there was also a third-rate White: Bestselling author and screenwriter Don Winslow is still very interested in the project, and as far as Wayne, Randy and I are concerned, he has the best vision for it. Keep your fingers crossed for us. Q: I have to finish with the obligatory organized crime question. We know the Mafia isn't remotely as powerful as it was in the 1970s. But do underground safes or banks like the one in this story still exist for mobsters to hide their ill-gotten gains? White: If there's anything like Bonded Vault that exists today, I'm not aware of it. In this era, tangible loot is more likely to be smuggled to a foreign country with looser rules. And contemporary organized crime cases show 'underground safes' are more often computer network servers that store scammed funds. Call me old school, but it's just not as interesting as a secret room tucked away inside a Providence fur storage warehouse. This story first appeared in Rhode Map, our free newsletter about Rhode Island that also contains information about local events, links to interesting stories, and more. If you'd like to receive it via email Monday through Friday, . Advertisement Dan McGowan can be reached at
