Tallison Teixeira does not plan on slowing down after his first UFC defeat. Instead, “Xicão” sees his UFC 325 clash with Tai Tuivasa, which goes down Jan. 31 in Sydney, as the perfect opportunity to cement
his place as a future contender in the heavyweight division.
Teixeira was only 1-0 in the UFC after walking through Justin Tafa in just 35 seconds in Australia, when the UFC booked him against perennial contender Derrick Lewis in a main event bout. “The Black Beast” upset the Brazilian with a knockout — also in 35 seconds.
The 6-foot-7 Brazilian said he had “a very chaotic camp” for Lewis, dealing with “a lot of personal issues, health stuff,” but it turned out to be a lesson in the end. In fact, the 26-year-old says he has “no regrets at all” accepting such a big opportunity one fight into his UFC career.
“What happened there, for me, was just an accident,” Teixeira said. “I don’t think it would happen again, but huge credit to Derrick for being able to land that shot at my range. Full credit to him, it was his night. I was excited, like I told you, and I’m still excited, I’m still good, because that was just a bad night. It was his night. But now it’s going to be different in Australia, it’s going to be my night. I want to impose my pace, impose my game, always aggressive like I’ve been in my other fights, keep being aggressive, always pushing the pace, speed, volume, and damage.”
“If I win, hell, I’m in the elite, in the conversation maybe for a title shot. But if I lose, at least I had the opportunity to try,” he continued. “I’ll never regret a decision I make because it shapes who I am, it got me here and will take me much further, so I can’t regret it. I take everything as a learning experience and keep moving forward. That night happened, it wasn’t what I expected or planned, but it helped me evolve a lot.”
Teixeira changed a few things in his life and career since the July loss, including switching teams in São Paulo. “Xicão” left Team Lucas Mineiro to join Cornerman, citing the need for bigger training partners, but said he’s forever grateful for ex-coach Lucas Martins for guiding him to the big leagues.
His first test of 2026 will be against Tuivasa, a heavyweight fan-favorite who saw his UFC record drop to 8-8 after losing his past five in a row. including finishes against Ciryl Gane, Sergei Pavlovich, Alexander Volkov and Marcin Tybura.
“I was a bit surprised when the organization sent his name,’ Teixeira said. “I even thought he might not accept the fight but thankfully he did, and I’m really excited about this matchup.”
“When you look at someone’s record, an experienced guy like him who has 16 fights in the organization, he’s been through a lot,” he continued. “He is coming off five losses, but when you stop to think about who he lost to, that’s the real issue. He only lost to the top guys in the division. He lost to Gane, who in my opinion might be the best striker in the division. In fact, his last win was exactly over Derrick Lewis, the biggest knockout artist in the division.”
Tuivasa is a local Australian who has beaten the likes of Lewis, Greg Hardy, Stefan Struve and Andrei Arlovski in the octagon, and will have the crowd on his side when he enters the Qudos Bank Arena this weekend.
“There’s pressure on him, he has to win because he’s coming off some losses, and there’s that pressure on me too, like, ‘he’s coming off five losses, so you have to beat him,’” Teixeira said. “But look at who he lost to, the absolute elite of the division. I even watched some videos of him training with Gane, I saw he’s really committed, and that’s good, because he sees danger in me and knows he needs to be very well prepared for this fight. He’s a very dangerous guy, hits hard, very dangerous, extremely experienced, has been in a lot of wars, but I’m excited and fired up for this fight.”
Both Teixeira and Tuivasa scored the vast majority of their MMA wins by knockout, combining for 20 knockout finishes in 22 matches, and “Xicão” sees his toolbox being more complete than his opponent’s.
“I think our striking level is pretty similar,” Teixeira said. “He just has a bit more mileage, a bit more savvy from having more fights and experience. But I don’t think my striking is behind his. Grappling-wise, yes, there’s a big difference because he’s a pure kickboxer. But like I said, this is MMA. If I have to take him down, I’ll take him down. If I have to trade, I’ll trade. If I have to work him on the fence like I did in my penultimate fight, I’ll put him on the fence. I came to fight MMA. I’m not here like, ‘I want to knock him out o submit him.’ I want to impose my game and pace. If my hand lands, he’s going down. If I need to take him down to finish him, ground and pound, I’ll do it. The important thing is winning.”
Teixeira hopes that a win at UFC 325 propels his name back to the top of the heavyweight class and has a target in mind in case the UFC doesn’t once again throws his name straight against one of the five best.
“If you ask me for a name I’d really like to fight it would be [Marcin] Tybura,” Teixeira said. “I’ve said before that it’s a matchup that makes sense. He’s also ranked above me, I think around eighth or ninth. I need a bit more mileage inside the octagon. Obviously I want to fight the best. I’ve always had that fire inside me to go at the best and show my work, and that’s not going to change now. Getting past Tai, God willing everything will work out and the UFC gives me a top-5 guy or Tybura, who’s ranked around 8 or 9. That’s perfect. The important thing is to take one step at a time toward that title.”
