Latest news with #UFConESPN70
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
UFC Nashville headliner Derrick Lewis says he 'damn near had to beg' to get fight booked
Derrick Lewis is confused by inactive state of UFC's heavyweight division. It will have been a 14-month layoff for Lewis (28-12 MMA, 19-10 UFC) when he returns against Tallison Teixeira (8-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) in the UFC on ESPN 70 headliner on July 12 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. Lewis was scheduled to face Jhonata Diniz this past November at UFC Fight Night 246, but withdrew due to a medical issue which he refused to disclose. Advertisement Lewis vs. Teixeira will be the first heavyweight main event of 2025. "It's crazy that nobody's fighting right now," Lewis told MMA Junkie. "Heavyweight, I don't know what's going on. I damn near had to beg to get this fight, so I don't know what's going on. Hopefully we can stay active after this." The former title challenger is taking on another rising contender in Dana White's Contender Series graduate Teixeira, as he looks to string together his first winning streak since 2021. "I know he's Brazilian, and he's a tall guy," Lewis said of Teixeira. "He's a heavyweight, so pretty sure he's got knockout power. I didn't watch any of his fights yet, nothing like that, but my coach told me he's got a lot of first-round knockouts. ... I've been training for like four months now, non-stop really, down to every day, and I never did that before. I'm coming into this fight, I'm pretty sure I'm going to be in great shape. My six pack will be back." Advertisement The two times Lewis fought an opponent who's 6 foot 7 or taller, he was able to knock out both Alexander Volkov and Travis Browne. "Yeah, I'm comfortable," Lewis said. "I like fighting tall guys. It aligns with my right hand. The way I throw my right hand, it aligns with it." This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Derrick Lewis: 'I damn near had to beg' to get UFC Nashville headliner
USA Today
3 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
UFC Nashville headliner Derrick Lewis says he 'damn near had to beg' to get fight booked
UFC Nashville headliner Derrick Lewis says he 'damn near had to beg' to get fight booked Derrick Lewis is confused by inactive state of UFC's heavyweight division. It will have been a 14-month layoff for Lewis (28-12 MMA, 19-10 UFC) when he returns against Tallison Teixeira (8-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) in the UFC on ESPN 70 headliner on July 12 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. Lewis was scheduled to face Jhonata Diniz this past November at UFC Fight Night 246, but withdrew due to a medical issue which he refused to disclose. Lewis vs. Teixeira will be the first heavyweight main event of 2025. "It's crazy that nobody's fighting right now," Lewis told MMA Junkie. "Heavyweight, I don't know what's going on. I damn near had to beg to get this fight, so I don't know what's going on. Hopefully we can stay active after this." The former title challenger is taking on another rising contender in Dana White's Contender Series graduate Teixeira, as he looks to string together his first winning streak since 2021. "I know he's Brazilian, and he's a tall guy," Lewis said of Teixeira. "He's a heavyweight, so pretty sure he's got knockout power. I didn't watch any of his fights yet, nothing like that, but my coach told me he's got a lot of first-round knockouts. ... I've been training for like four months now, non-stop really, down to every day, and I never did that before. I'm coming into this fight, I'm pretty sure I'm going to be in great shape. My six pack will be back." The two times Lewis fought an opponent who's 6 foot 7 or taller, he was able to knock out both Alexander Volkov and Travis Browne. "Yeah, I'm comfortable," Lewis said. "I like fighting tall guys. It aligns with my right hand. The way I throw my right hand, it aligns with it."
USA Today
5 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
UFC on ESPN 70 gets Chris Curtis, Jake Matthews among other Nashville fight card additions
UFC on ESPN 70 gets Chris Curtis, Jake Matthews among other Nashville fight card additions Several bouts have been added to July's UFC on ESPN 70 in Nashville. The UFC's seventh visit to Nashville, Tenn. is taking shape. Three new bouts have been added to UFC on ESPN 70 including Jake Matthews vs. Chidi Njokuani, Max Griffin vs. Chris Curtis, and Junior Tafa vs. Ateba Gautier. The promotion announced the news Tuesday. UFC on ESPN 70 takes place July 12 at the Bridgestone Arena and is headlined by a heavyweight bout between former title challenger Derrick Lewis against undefeated prospect Tallison Teixeira. Njokuani (25-10 MMA, 5-3 UFC) looks to build on his 3-0 run since he dropped back down to welterweight. Meanwhile, Matthews (21-7 MMA, 14-7 UFC), a veteran of the weight class, looks to get his own 3-0 run, as he's coming off back-to-back decision wins over Phil Rowe and Francisco Prado. Additionally, Max Griffin welcomes Chris Curtis back to welterweight. Curtis (31-12 MMA, 5-4 UFC), who's competed all of his 10 UFC fights at 185 pounds, will be making his promotional welterweight debut. He looks to snap a two-fight losing skid now in a new division. "Pain" Griffin is 2-2 in his past four trips to the octagon, with his most recent one being a submission loss to Michael Chiesa in December at UFC 310. Lastly, Tafa (6-3 MMA, 2-3 UFC) will also be trying out a new weight class – light heavyweight. He takes on Gautier (7-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC), who's coming off a devastating KO win in his debut fight against Jose Medina in Mexico City in March.
