Tallison Teixeira is set to headline UFC Nashville on July 12 against Derrick Lewis, carrying the weight of a longstanding hardship for Brazilian fighters in UFC main events this year. With six months gone in 2025, no Brazilian has claimed a UFC main event victory, creating a so-called “curse” that Teixeira hopes to break with a decisive knockout.
Brazilian fighters’ struggles in UFC headlining bouts this year
So far in 2025, nine Brazilian athletes—Amanda Ribas, Renato Moicano, Gregory Rodrigues, Alex Pereira, Diego Lopes, Carlos Prates, Deiveson Figueiredo, Gilbert Burns, and Charles Oliveira—have all lost when featured in UFC main events. This includes four title fights where Moicano, Lopes, Oliveira, and Poatan, who lost his light heavyweight championship to Magomed Ankalaev in March, failed to capture gold.
Teixeira confident about ending the losing streak
Teixeira expressed optimism about his role in reversing this trend, stating in an MMA Fighting interview,
“I like this because I’ll be remembered as the man that ended the Brazilian curse.”
He also shared his confidence in the outcome, saying,
“I even joked about it. ‘I’ll knock out Derrick Lewis, I’ll beat Derrick. Come ask me later.’ I know that will happen.”
Historical parallels to previous Brazilian slumps
The current lack of Brazilian wins in main events echoes a similar streak in 2017, when fighters like Bethe Correia, Jose Aldo, Glover Teixeira, Junior dos Santos, Wilson Reis, and Vitor Belfort all suffered defeats. That year’s series of losses was finally broken in September by Amanda Nunes’ victory over Valentina Shevchenko.
Teixeira motivated by Brazil’s recent UFC defeats
Addressing what’s at stake, Teixeira said,
“Brazilians need this after sad losses we had.”
He added,
“Brazilian needs this incentive, you know? I think that motivates me even more to give my best possible inside the octagon.”
Fighter backgrounds and matchup context for UFC Nashville
Teixeira enters the fight undefeated as a pro, with an 8-0 record bolstered by a swift 35-second knockout of Justin Tafa in his UFC debut earlier this year. Derrick Lewis, meanwhile, recently faced a sequence of Brazilian opponents—knocking out Marcos Rogerio de Lima and Rodrigo Nascimento along the way, while losing a decision to Jailton Almeida.
Significance and upcoming showdown expectations
The outcome of Teixeira versus Lewis will not only impact the UFC heavyweight division but also mark a pivotal moment for Brazilian fighters seeking to regain prominence in UFC headlining roles. If Teixeira achieves a knockout victory, he will break the 0-9 streak for Brazil in 2025 main events and provide renewed motivation for his countrymen in a sport where national pride runs deep.