What We Saw, Heard, And Felt At UFC Nashville

UFC Nashville delivered knockouts, chaos, controversy, and a crowd that reminded us why stateside UFC Fight Nights are good for the sport.

From the early prelims to Derrick Lewis’ main event moment, the card was a snapshot of what makes Fight Nights on U.S. soil arguably the purest presentation of MMA.

Here’s what we saw, heard, and what fans and media in attendance felt inside Bridgestone Arena.

What We Saw at UFC Nashville

Lewis Puts on a Short Show to End the Night

Lewis extended his own record for KOs in the UFC with a first-round finish of Tallison Teixeira, though it didn’t come without controversy (more on that later).

Lewis’ power is undeniable, and because of it, he has a chance against any opponent. Here is a look at the finish.

Lewis D/X chopped and launched imaginary arrows at Teixeira immediately after the finish. He also removed his shorts and mooned the crowd.

Wonderboy is an Action Movie Hero

We also saw Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson suffer one of the nastiest gashes on his leg that you’ll ever see during his co-main event clash with Gabriel Bonfim.

I know this is the “see” portion, but rather than simply embedding it here, I’ll give you the option to look at this image if you can stomach it. It was ugly, but what was most amazing was Thompson’s toughness.

Not only did the 43-year-old veteran fight on, he didn’t even stop throwing kicks with the lacerated leg.

Unbelievable.

Charriere and Landwehr Put on a Show

Nate Landwehr is a walking Fight of the Night bonus, and he has the ability to pull anyone into his world. He did that on Saturday but was reduced to rubble in the process as Morgan Charriere proved to be too athletic and explosive for Landwehr.

Charriere added a devastating finish to his highlight reel to go with his share of the Fight of the Night bonus both fighters earned. Here is the insane finish in the third round.

Valter Walker Should Change His Nickname to Captain “Heel Hook”

For the third fight in a row, Walker has defeated an opponent by heel hook.

I’ve been covering MMA for nearly 20 years and I cannot recall another fighter with back-to-back wins by heel hook—let alone three straight. Here’s his latest heel capture.

It’s an amazing run and should lead to Walker receiving an official ranking in the heavyweight division this week.

Fatima Fades Martinez

If Fatima Kline was looking for a standout performance with a memorable moment, she got it on Saturday and also set the tone for the evening with her vicious head-kick KO win over Melissa Martinez.

In case you missed it, it was a Performance of the Night winner.

What We Heard at UFC Nashville

The Nashville Crowd Was an All-Timer

The crowd in Nashville was electric. So much so that the city should be on the UFC’s radar to visit twice a year, and the top non-titleholding American fighters should be in the main and co-main events.

The UFC has been running a program featuring artists’ music during pay-per-views and Fight Nights and I don’t think it’s getting enough shine.

A Thousand Tons Was a Great Theme for the Event

At UFC Nashville, the broadcast played A Thousand Tons, a track from a metal band called Chained Saint, several times. If you’re unaware of the band and the track, here’s a look at the lyric video.

The opening lyrics of the song say, “you ought to know by now that there’s no stopping us.” That line makes the song wildly appropriate as a theme for an event with eight stoppage wins—many that were pretty devastating.

The band has several songs on their album Blindside that seem like a perfect fit as entrance music for a WWE Superstar. All in all, it was a strong match.

Lauren Murphy Says Goodbye and Thanks Herself

UFC pioneer and former women’s flyweight title challenger Lauren Murphy retired in the Octagon following a unanimous decision loss to Eduarda Moura.

Murphy addressed the crowd with a heartfelt message after the fight as she laid her gloves in the center of the Octagon.

She thanked herself during the Octagon interview.

The 41-year-old walked away from the UFC with a 16-7 record.

What We Felt During and After UFC Nashville

Did Wonderboy Get Robbed?

A lot of the talk after the co-main event was about Wonderboy’s gashed leg, but should we have talked more about that decision going Bonfim’s way? There’s a good argument to be made that Wonderboy won the second and third rounds. Ashx_MMA put together a solid breakdown explaining why he scored the fight for Wonderboy.

He definitely took the second, as he nearly knocked the talented Brazilian out with a bananas head kick. Wonderboy didn’t complain—but then again, he never does. I’m not sure about this one. I had it for Wonderboy too.

Was That Stoppage a Bit Premature in the Main Event?

Lewis won in the main event via TKO, but many—including me—believe referee Jason Herzog stopped the fight prematurely. UFC President Dana White also felt the stoppage was “a little fast.”

Teixeira is a talented 25-year-old heavyweight. He was hurt, but I thought he got back to his feet pretty quickly. Herzog seemed to call it after Teixeira mistakenly hit him during the stand-up.

In case you missed it, here are the results from the event.

UFC Nashville Results

Main Card

• Derrick Lewis def. Tallison Teixeira via TKO (punches) at :35 of R1
• Gabriel Bonfim def. Stephen Thompson via split decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29)
• Steve Garcia def. Calvin Kattar via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Morgan Charriere def. Nate Landwehr via TKO (punches) at :27 of R3
• Vitor Petrino def. Austen Lane via submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:16 of R1
• Tuco Tokkos def. Junior Tafa via submission (head-arm choke) at 4:25 of R2

Preliminary Card

• Chris Curtis def. Max Griffin via split decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29)
• Jake Matthews def. Chidi Njokuani via submission (rear-naked choke) at 1:09 of R1
• Eduarda Moura def. Lauren Murphy via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Valter Walker def. Kennedy Nzechukwu via submission (inverted heel hook) at :54 of R1
• Mike Davis def. Mitch Ramirez via TKO (flying knee and punches) at 4:08 of R2
• Fatima Kline def. Melissa Martinez via TKO (head kick and punches) at 2:36 of R3