The Bridgestone Arena has just hosted one of the best UFC fight nights of 2025.
The event featured a mix of knockouts and submissions, leaving Nashville fans in awe.
With such a stacked fight card, it’s no surprise that UFC Nashville was sold out.
The attendance totalled 17,007, and the gate receipts for the event were $2,189,826.
The primary focus, of course, was the showstopping fights, which delivered in Music City.
The Black Beast extends its knockout record
The main event saw a Heavyweight clash between the #9 contender, Derrick Lewis, and the #13 contender, Tallison Teixeira.
It was predicted that the fight would not go the distance, given Lewis’s reputation for knockouts and Teixeira’s 100% finish rate.
The battle only lasted 35 seconds, as both men swung heavy blows, looking for the knockout shot.
The Louisiana-born fighter knocked down the Brazilian with a mighty left hand before eventually stopping the fight with some follow-up strikes.
Some in the MMA community believed that the stoppage was premature, as Teixeira managed to get back to his feet.
However, ‘Xicao’ was grabbing the fence to get back up, which possibly indicated to the referee that he couldn’t continue.
Despite that, Lewis keeps himself in the top 10 of the Heavyweight rankings and begins a winning streak.
The Texan resident increases his record of most knockouts in UFC history to 16, a record that doesn’t seem unbeatable.
Thompson vs Bonfim ends with a controversial decision
The co-main event drew interest from UFC fans, as it featured a veteran vs. prospect matchup, just like the headliner.
Stephen Thompson wasn’t on a great run, and at 42 years old, he was still key to performing in the Octagon.
Meanwhile, Gabriel Bonfim was hoping to enter the Welterweight rankings with his opponent placed at #13.
The fight went to the judges’ scorecards with the Brazilian winning by split decision after three rounds.
While the contest was very close, fans certainly did not agree with the result.
Thompson had landed more total and significant strikes, which was seen as more appealing to the audience.
It was clear Bonfim had won the first round, and ‘Wonderboy’ had won the second round, but it seemed that the judges believed that the Brazilian’s control time was enough to win the fight.
There was still praise of Thompson on social media for his performance, as well as backlash on the decision from current and former UFC fighters.
What else happened at UFC Nashville
Steve Garcia defeated the #14 Featherweight contender, Calvin Kattar, by unanimous decision.
Morgan Charriere defeated Nate Landwehr by third-round knockout, not forgetting that this battle was given a Fight of the Night bonus.
Vitor Petrino defeated Austen Lane by first-round submission with a Rear-Naked Choke, succeeding in his Heavyweight debut.
Tuco Tokkos gave Junior Tafa a big unwelcome to the Light Heavyweight division after securing a second-round Arm Triangle Choke.
Chris Curtis was victorious in his UFC Welterweight debut after winning by split decision against Max Griffin.
Jake Matthews submitted Chidi Njokuani with a Short Choke in the first round.
Lauren Murphy accepted her retirement from MMA after a unanimous decision loss to Eduarda Moura.
Valter Walker earned his third consecutive first-round heel hook submission against Kennedy Nzechukwu, claiming a Performance of the Night bonus.
Mike Davis got back to winning ways with a second-round TKO win against Mitch Ramirez.
Fatima Kline earned a Performance of the Night bonus after a terrific third-round TKO victory over Melissa Martinez.