Derrick Lewis planning Broadway celebration ahead of UFC fight in Nashville

The UFC's knockout king is already planning his trip down Broadway.
Derrick Lewis (28-12, 1 NC), who's knocked out a UFC record 15 opponents in his career, returns to the octagon on July 12 at Bridgestone Arena, headlining a heavyweight bout against the unbeaten Tallison Teixeira (8-0) as the UFC returns to Nashville for the first time since 2023.
Advertisement
"I want to check out the country bars out there, the country music. I'm bringing cowboy boots, hat and stuff like that. I'm prepared for a great celebration after this fight," Lewis told The Tennessean. "I'm planning on everything going great with this fight and there's going to be a good celebration afterwards."
Lewis, who's developed a following for his fan-friendly fighting style and colorful post-fight celebrations, ends a 14-month layoff with the bout, while also looking to end Teixeira's streak of eight first-round finishes to start his career.
The 6-foot-7 Teixeira made a name for himself on 'Dana White's Contender Series' and after earning a UFC contract, made his debut in February where he quickly secured another first-round knockout against Justin Tafa.
But Teixeira has never fought in a main event before and has never been in the octagon with a fighter of Lewis' pedigree.
Advertisement
"I believe that it's five rounds and all I need is just one punch to get rid of this guy," Lewis said. "I don't care who you are, just one punch by me, I'm going to get rid of you. So that's what we're going to be focusing on, to get rid of this guy in the first round ... I got an opportunity to end this fight in any round that I want to, if I just put everything together that we've been working on."
UFC makes long-awaited return to Nashville
July's card will be the seventh time Dana White and the UFC have come to Nashville, but first since Cory Sandhagen defeated Rob Font in the main event of UFC on ESPN 50 in August 2023.
Former UFC lightweight title challenger Michael Chandler has called Nashville home since 2017 and since moving to the area has been a proponent for a return to Music City, having played his part in 2023's fight card.
Advertisement
'It's kind of like a no brainer for the UFC to have, not just a show, but a big show at Bridgestone in Nashville because Nashville's just in a very good geographic location. People want to come here …
'So it's cool that they're coming back multiple times. They're coming back again. I know last time I was a big-time cheerleader, getting in their ear saying, 'Hey, let me know if there's anything I could do. I want to make the Nashville show as good as we possibly can, so the UFC keeps coming back.'
Chandler owns and operates local Nashville-area gym 'Training Camp' and has seen firsthand the growth of mixed martial arts in Middle Tennessee, something he believes the UFC's summer visit will only amplify.
'Its definitely gotten bigger … just watching our gym grow, watching the just the whole sport of mixed martial arts grow," Chandler said. "What the UFC has done, how we've taken it mainstream all the way across the world, has opened people's eyes to the fun, watching entertainment side of MMA, but also the fun, actual practicing of MMA.
Advertisement
"So it's been cool and obviously I love seeing the UFC come to Nashville, fill up Bridgestone Arena and put on a great show."
Joining No. 9-ranked Lewis and No. 14-ranked Teixeira, here's the full UFC on ESPN 70 fight card:
Calvin Kattar (23-9) vs. Steve Garcia (17-5). Jake Matthews (21-7) vs. Chidi Njokuani (25-10, 1 NC). Junior Tafa (6-3) vs. Tuco Tokkos (10-5). Ateba Gautier (7-1) vs. Robert Valentin (11-5, 1 NC). Vitor Petrino (11-2) vs. Austen Lane (13-6, 1 NC). Max Griffin (20-11) vs. Chris Curtis (31-12, 1 NC). Fatima Kline (7-1) vs. Melissa Martinez (8-1). Lauren Murphy (16-6) vs. Eduarda Moura (11-1).
UFC Nashville tickets
Tickets for UFC Fight Night on ESPN 70 in Nashville are available for purchase here.
Advertisement
We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY Network newsrooms operate independently, and this doesn't influence our coverage.
Harrison Campbell covers combat sports for The Tennessean and high school sports for The Daily Herald. Email him at hcampbell@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @hccamp.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Derrick Lewis, Michael Chandler preview UFC Nashville

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Yahoo

32 minutes ago

• Yahoo

Donovan Solano hits 2 homers as the Seattle Mariners beat the Chicago Cubs 14-6

Chicago Cubs' Seiya Suzuki, of Japan, celebrates with third base coach Quintin Berry as he rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run during the first inning of a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners in Chicago, Sunday, June 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh) Chicago Cubs' Seiya Suzuki, of Japan, hits a solo home run during the first inning of a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners in Chicago, Sunday, June 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh) Seattle Mariners' Dominic Canzone celebrates with teammates in the dugout after hitting a solo home run during the second inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs in Chicago, Sunday, June 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh) Seattle Mariners' Dominic Canzone, right, celebrates with J.P. Crawford after hitting a solo home run during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs in Chicago, Sunday, June 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh) Seattle Mariners' Donovan Solano celebrates with teammates after hitting a two-run home run during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs in Chicago, Sunday, June 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh) Seattle Mariners' Donovan Solano celebrates with teammates after hitting a two-run home run during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs in Chicago, Sunday, June 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh) Chicago Cubs' Seiya Suzuki, of Japan, celebrates with third base coach Quintin Berry as he rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run during the first inning of a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners in Chicago, Sunday, June 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh) Chicago Cubs' Seiya Suzuki, of Japan, hits a solo home run during the first inning of a baseball game against the Seattle Mariners in Chicago, Sunday, June 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh) Seattle Mariners' Dominic Canzone celebrates with teammates in the dugout after hitting a solo home run during the second inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs in Chicago, Sunday, June 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh) Seattle Mariners' Dominic Canzone, right, celebrates with J.P. Crawford after hitting a solo home run during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs in Chicago, Sunday, June 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh) Seattle Mariners' Donovan Solano celebrates with teammates after hitting a two-run home run during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs in Chicago, Sunday, June 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh) CHICAGO (AP) — Donovan Solano homered twice and drove in five runs, helping the Seattle Mariners outslug the Chicago Cubs for a 14-6 victory on Sunday. Cal Raleigh hit his major league-leading 31st homer for Seattle on a hot and windy afternoon at Wrigley Field. Dominic Canzone went deep twice as the Mariners won the rubber game of a weekend set that featured a total of 21 homers for the two teams. Advertisement Raleigh connected in the first inning against Colin Rea (4-3). The two-run drive to center field was his fourth homer of the series. Seiya Suzuki homered twice and drove in three runs for the Cubs in their third loss in four games. Kyle Tucker and Reese McGuire also went deep for the NL Central leaders. Chicago trimmed Seattle's lead to 5-4 when Suzuki hit a two-run shot off Logan Gilbert (2-2) with two down in the fifth. It was Suzuki's 20th homer of the season. Seattle responded with two runs in the sixth. Canzone hit his second solo homer of the day, and Julio Rodríguez added a run-scoring groundout. Advertisement Solano made it 9-4 with a two-run shot off Chris Flexen in the seventh. Solano went 9 for 14 in the series with eight RBIs. Key moment Seattle put away the game with five runs in the eighth against Nate Pearson. Randy Arozarena hit a two-run double and Solano capped the scoring with a two-run single. Key stat The Mariners improved to 9-3 in rubber games this season. Up next Mariners RHP Bryan Woo (6-4, 3.12 ERA) starts Monday night in the opener of a four-game series at Minnesota. RHP Bailey Ober (4-4, 4.54) goes for the Twins. Cubs RHP Ben Brown (4-5, 5.57 ERA) takes the mound Monday night at St. Louis. LHP Matthew Liberatore (4-6, 4.08) pitches for the Cardinals. ___ AP MLB:

Yahoo

34 minutes ago

• Yahoo

GDT: Can we get Aranda to the All-Star Game please?

Yahoo Soccer is powered by OneFootball, the ultimate destination for news, live matches, scores, highlights, and more.

Forbes

35 minutes ago

• Forbes

UFC 317 Full Fight Card Officially Announced With 12 Bouts

ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - OCTOBER 24: Ilia Topuria of Spain is seen on stage during the UFC ... More 308 press conference at Etihad Arena on October 24, 2024 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC) With under a week to go until fight night, the UFC has announced the full fight card for the UFC 317 pay-per-view. The card, which takes place on June 28 from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, features two title fights at the top of the card. There are 12 fights scheduled for UFC 317. UFC 317 Pay-Per-View Fight Card Ilia Topuria vs. Charles Oliveira - For vacant UFC lightweight title Alexandre Pantoja vs. Kai Kara-France - For Pantoja's UFC flyweight title Brandon Royval vs. Joshua Van - Flyweight Beneil Dariush vs. Renato Moicano - Lightweight Payton Talbott vs. Felipe Lima - Bantamweight UFC 317 Fight Card (Official Fights For Prelims And Early Prelims) Jack Hermansson vs. Gregory Rodrigues - Middleweight Hyder Amil vs. Jose Miguel Delgado - Featherweight Viviane Araujo vs. Tracy Cortez - Strawweight Terrance McKinney vs. Viacheslav Borshchev - Lightweight Sedriques Dumas vs. Jackson McVey - Middleweight Jhonta Diniz vs. Alvin Hines - Heavyweight Niko Price vs. Jacobe Smith (Prelim and Early Prelim bout order has not yet been announced by UFC) As of Saturday, only eight fights were official for UFC 317. The newly announced matchups are: Hyder Amil vs. Jose Miguel Delgado Terrance McKinney vs. Viacheslav Borshchev Sedriques Dumas vs. Jackson McVey Niko Price vs. Jacobe Smith UFC 317 Main Card Updates NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - JUNE 07: Joshua Van of Myanmar enters the octagon before the flyweight bout ... More against Bruno Silva of Brazil during UFC 316 at the Prudential Center on June 07, 2025 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo) The first change to the UFC 317 pay-per-view card came in early June when Manel Kape was forced from his fight opposite Brandon Royval due to injury. The surging Joshua Van quickly agreed to step in to replace Kape. The most recent change came this week, when Costa fell ill and withdrew from his matchup with Kopylov. Reports are that the Costa vs. Kopylov contest will move to UFC 318 in July. Replacing the Costa vs. Kopylov fight is a short-notice matchup between Payton Talbott and Felipe Lima. Another fight that has been scrapped from the UFC 317 card is the heavyweight matchup between Jhonata Diniz vs. Justin Tafa. Tafa pulled out of that fight. Diniz now faces Alvin Hines on the early prelims. UFC 317 Fight Card Main Event: Ilia Topuria Vs. Charles Oliveira ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - OCTOBER 26:Ilia Topuria of Spain prepares to face Max Holloway in ... More the UFC featherweight championship fight during the UFC 308 event at Etihad Arena on October 26, 2024 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC) Ilia Topuria (16-0) is a former Cage Warriors champion. He joined the UFC in 2020 with a 9-0 record. It did not take him long to make a name for himself. He was ranked No. 14 in the featherweight division after three UFC bouts at 145 pounds and one contest in the 155-pound division. Three of those scraps ended with Topuria winning via knockout. In his first fight as a ranked featherweight, Topuria dispatched Bryce Mitchell via submission in the second round, earned his first 'Performance of the Night' bonus and moved to No. 9 in the rankings. A matchup with No. 5 ranked Josh Emmett followed the Mitchell win. Topuria picked up a decision in a 'Fight of the Night' scrap. Topuria's next fight, saw him face Alexander Volkanovski for the UFC featherweight title at UFC 298. Topuria entered that bout as the No. 3 ranked featherweight. He left as the champion after knocking out Volkanovski in the second stanza. In his first defense of the UFC featherweight crown, Topuria made history, becoming the first fighter to finish former 145-pound champion Max Holloway via strikes, knocking out the ex-champion in the third round of their UFC 308 meeting in October 2024. When Topuria decided to move to lightweight and give up his featherweight title, he vowed to sit until he got a 155-pound title shot. That fight takes place at UFC 317. Topuria has a 16-0 record with eight of those wins coming under the UFC banner. LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - APRIL 13: Charles Oliveira of Brazil looks on against Arman Tsarukyan in their ... More lightweight fight at T-Mobile Arena on April 13, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by) Charles Oliveira (35-10-0-1) has been fighting with the UFC since 2010. He won the vacant lightweight title with his win over Chandler and defended the title once, beating Dustin Poirier. He was booked to face Justin Gaethje in his second title defense, but Oliveira missed weight for that fight, which he won by submission, losing the title on the scale. Oliveira had a chance to regain the belt in October 2022, but Islam Makhachev submitted him and claimed the vacant belt. Since that loss, Oliveira is 1-1, beating Beneil Dariush by TKO in June 2023 and losing to Arman Tsarukyan via split decision in April of this year. Oliveira is coming off a November 2024 decision win over Michael Chandler. Oliveira is the No. 2 fighter in the official UFC lightweight rankings. UFC 317 Fight Card Co-Main Event: Alexandre Pantoja Vs. Kai Kara-France LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - JULY 08: Alexandre Pantoja celebrates after defeating UFC flyweight champion ... More Brandon Moreno during UFC 290 at T-Mobile Arena on July 08, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Pantoja won the title by split decision. (Photo by) Alexandre Pantoja (29-5) is on a seven-fight winning streak heading into UFC 317. The 35-year-old Brazilian made his UFC debut in July 2017 with a split-decision win over Eric Shelton. Pantoja's career had its ups and downs over the next three years, where he went 5-3, but he has not lost since he dropped a decision to Askar Askarov in July 2020. Pantoja won the UFC flyweight title in July 2023 on the heels of two 'Performance of the Night' submission wins. Pantoja secured the 125-pound title with a split decision win over Brandon Moreno. Since that victory, Pantoja has defended his three times, beating Brandon Royval in December 2023 and Steve Erceg in May 2024. Both fights ended in decision victories. Pantoja picked up his 19th career finish in his third title defense, submitting Kai Asakura at UFC 310 in December 2024. PERTH, AUSTRALIA - AUGUST 18: Kai Kara-France of New Zealand celebrates after winning his Flyweight ... More fight against Steve Erceg of Australia during UFC 305 at RAC Arena on August 18, 2024 in Perth, Australia. (Photo by) Kai Kara-France (25-11-0-1) was 17-7-0-1 when he got the call from the UFC in 2019. In his first fight with the promotion, the New Zealander faced a short-notice opponent in Elias Garcia. The two won 'Fight of the Night' honors for their efforts, with Kara-France picking up the decision win. Kara-France followed that victory with two more wins on the judge's scorecards. Then, in December 2019, he faced future champion Brandon Moreno on the early prelims of the UFC 245 pay-per-view card. Moreno won that bout by decision. Kara-France went 1-1 in his next two outings. He then tore off three straight wins between March 2021 and March 2022 and found himself as the No. 2 ranked fighter in the division. In his next outing, he faced Moreno, who was ranked No. 1, in the co-main event of UFC 277. At stake was the interim UFC flyweight title. Moreno won that contest by TKO in the third round. Kara-France followed that setback with a split-decision loss to Amir Albazi in June 2023. Kara-France was booked to face Manel Kape in September 2023, but a concussion during training camp prevented Kara-France from competing on that card, UFC 293. The 32-year-old would not return to action until August 2024, where he earned a first-round TKO win, and a 'Performance of the Night' bonus against Steve Erceg. Kara-France enters UFC 317 as the No. 4 fighter in the official UFC flyweight rankings. We will have more on the UFC 317 fight card as fight night approaches.