UFC on ESPN 70 Live Winners and Losers, Full Card Results
Changing of the guard? Or same old, same old?
Those were questions to be answered on Saturday night in Nashville, where a pair of 40-somethings faced a pair of 20-somethings in the co-main and main-event bouts on a jam-packed Fight Night show at Bridgestone Arena.
Ex-heavyweight title challenger Derrick Lewis turned 40 in February and got another chance to reverse a skid that saw him lose five of seven bouts before stopping Rodrigo Nascimento in three rounds in his most recent outing 14 months ago.
He faced unbeaten Brazilian slugger Tallison Teixeira, 25, who earned a UFC slot with a win on Dana White's Contender Series and stopped Justin Tafa in just 35 seconds in his official company debut on a pay-per-view undercard five months ago.
They went one fight after 42-year-old welterweight Stephen Thompson, who'd already lost four of five and seven of 11, faced 27-year-old submission ace Gabriel Bonfim, who'd tapped out three foes in four wins since his own Contender Series arrival in 2022.
The B/R combat team was in place to take in all 12 bouts and delivered a real-time list of the show's definitive winners and losers. Take a look at what we came up with and drop a thought of your own in the app comments.
Winner: Taking Advantage
1 of 8
Lewis has more KOs than any fighter in UFC history.
So, he doesn’t need help from guys like Jason Herzog.
But the veteran happily took advantage of a quick trigger in the main event when Herzog stepped in after just 35 seconds to give Lewis a finish of Teixeira.
It was the 16th KO in 20 UFC wins for the 40-year-old, who’s won two straight since he was outpointed by Jailton Almeida on a Fight Night show 20 months ago.
“They’ve been talking sh-t all week,” said Lewis, who celebrated by lifting his leg toward Teixeira’s corner. “I can’t speak Portuguese, but I know for sure they were talking sh-t about me. F--k ’em.”
The end came when Lewis responded to being poked in the eye by firing a wide left hook that clipped Teixeira and sent him tumbling to his back. He followed with a flurry of ground shots as the Brazilian tried to escape and pulled himself up by grabbing the cage.
Herzog intervened and an obviously irritated Teixeira responded with a light shove of the referee. Meanwhile, Lewis tossed his trunks into the crowd and reiterated his belief that Teixeira, who’d had just one UFC fight after a Contender Series win, wasn’t ready for the big time.
“I knew he’d been fighting tomato cans his whole career,” he said.
Loser: Playing Along
2 of 8
He may not have agreed. But Thompson played along anyway.
The veteran welterweight is the oldest fighter on the UFC roster, and he did everything possible to keep from passing the torch to once-beaten foe Bonfim, but it wasn’t enough—to two of the three judges anyway—to prevent a split-decision loss.
Nevertheless, the 42-year-old shook hands with Bonfim’s corner team, embraced his rival and then climbed with him to the top of the cage to salute the Nashville fans.
And he earned the 27-year-old’s respect, too.
Thompson was the superior striker by a 78 to 55 margin in landed shots, but Bonfim scored each of the fight’s five takedowns, ran up better than five minutes of control time and spent the last part of the final round with Thompson pressed along the fence—winning the round on the cards of deciding judges Mike Bell and Dave Tirelli.
The B/R card disagreed, seeing Thompson as a 29-28 winner.
“Stephen Thompson is the most experienced fighter in the division and he’s a bad a--, too,” Bonfim said. “I felt like I did the work necessary for our strategy to work but he is the toughest guy in this division.”
Winner: Punching His Ticket
3 of 8
Steve Garcia had respect. But he also had an agenda.
The New Mexico-based featherweight headed into his fight with 14th-ranked Calvin Kattar fully intending to prolong a five-fight win streak into his own spot in the rankings.
“As a child I prayed for moments like this,” he said. “I’ve been watching him for a long time.”
Garcia arrived with a world-class work rate and maintained it through nearly every moment across 15 minutes on the way to a career-defining shutout decision victory.
He landed 85 total strikes to Kattar’s 26 and varied his attack, landing more than four dozen shots to the head, 23 to the body and another 10 to the legs.
In doing so, he not only captured the sixth straight win but also bumped his UFC record to 7-2 and his pro mark to 18-5. Meanwhile, Kattar dropped his fifth straight and fell below .500, to 7-8, in the UFC.
“I knew that if he got going before I did, I was going to have a bad night,” Garcia said. “I didn’t want to get stupid. I’m on a six-fight win streak and one by one they’re all getting done.”
.jpg?w=256 "NFL Draft Football")
.JPEG?w=256 "Super Bowl Football")
Loser: Slimming Down
4 of 8
It probably seemed like a good idea at the time.
Australian export Junior Tafa was frequently in against behemoths as a UFC heavyweight, so his drop down to 205 pounds seemed well-suited for his 6’3” frame.
But the cut may have taken a bit too much.
The 28-year-old was a sitting duck for takedowns from British opponent Tuco Tokkos, who dragged him to the floor five times and controlled him for better than seven of the first nine minutes before securing a finish by arm triangle at 4:25 of Round 2.
It was the first win in three UFC tries for Tokkos, who’d been finished in a round and beaten by decision in two Fight Night appearances in 2024.
For Tafa, it was the fourth loss in six fights with the promotion and snuffs the optimism prompted by a second-round TKO of Sean Sharaf last fall.
“I fought two undefeated prospects in my first two fights,” said Tokkos, who claimed to separate a shoulder in the first round. “But this was a fight I thought I could win. I trusted my corner and I heard him start to gargle, and that was that.”
Winner: Aging In
5 of 8
Jake Matthews is growing into his UFC body.
The Australian debuted with the promotion as a precocious 19-year-old in the summer of 2014 but his best work has come as he’s approached and passed birthday No. 30.
Matthews got welterweight betting favorite Chidi Njokuani to the floor with a muay-thai foot sweep then quickly pounced to his foe’s back and locked in the rear-naked choke that ended the fight after just 69 seconds.
It was a third straight win for Matthews, who was 4-3 after his first seven in the UFC, then won eight of his next 12 before triggering the latest run with decisions over Phil Rowe and Francisco Prado.
The finish of Njokuani was his first since UFC 291 against Darrius Flowers.
“It feels good. It feels good,” he said. “That was a 1-in-20 chance but I just managed to do it. I’m a second-degree jiu-jitsu black belt, I love to swing and throw hands for the crowd, but when it gets to the floor, I’m very comfortable.”
Winner: Playing the Heel
6 of 8
If he’s not careful, Valter Walker is going to be the better brother.
The sibling of veteran 205-pounder Johnny Walker blitzed from his corner with a flurry of strikes, took his takedown shot at Kennedy Nzechukwu and wound up seizing his foe’s right leg while locking in the heel hook that ended matters after just 54 seconds.
It was his third straight win by that finish sequence, which Walker claims to use in multiple variations. He finished Junior Tafa with it in just a shade less than a full round last August, then beat Don’Tale Mayes in 77 seconds on a Fight Night show in February.
The run is tied for the longest active submission streak in the UFC and the win lifted Walker to 14-1 as a pro and 3-1 with the promotion since debuting in April 2024.
“He set the bar high with each of his last two wins,” blow-by-blow man Brendan Fitzgerald said, “and to come through with that one in less than a minute is pretty incredible.”
Winner: Patient Punishment
7 of 8
Fatima Kline looked like a favorite. Eventually.
The newly minted 24-year-old was the show’s safest betting choice at -1200 but grinded her way through two uneventful rounds against Melissa Martinez before finally producing a highlight-worthy finish just past the halfway point of the third.
Kline flicked a right jab from a southpaw stance before pivoting and coming up with a left kick that landed flush on Martinez’s jaw, sending her to the floor in a heap.
She immediately pounced for a quick flurry of ground shots before the end came at 2:36. And according to the New York-based strawweight, it was all according to plan.
“My coaches were telling me between rounds that ‘Hey, that left kick is there,’” she said. “I think it worked out perfect.”
One fight later, the biggest men's favorite of the night, lightweight Mike Davis—who went off at -900—endured some adverse striking moments against Mitch Ramirez early in the second before rallying with shots of his own that yielded a TKO at 4:08.
Full Card Results
8 of 8
Main Card
Derrick Lewis def. Tallison Teixeira by TKO (punch), 0:35, Round 1
Gabriel Bonfim def. Stephen Thompson by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
Steve Garcia def. Calvin Kattar by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Morgan Charrière def. Nate Landwehr by KO (punch), 0:27, Round 3
Vitor Petrino def. Austen Lane by submission (rear-naked choke), 4:16, Round 1
Tuco Tokkos def. Junior Tafa by submission (arm triangle), 4:25, Round 2
Preliminary Card
Chris Curtis def. Max Griffin by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
Jake Matthews def. Chidi Njokuani by submission (rear-naked choke), 1:09, Round 1
Eduarda Moura def. Lauren Murphy by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Valter Walker def. Kennedy Nzechukwu by submission (heel hook), 0:54, Round 1
Mike Davis def. Mitch Ramirez by TKO (punches), 4:08, Round 2
Fatima Kline def. Melissa Martinez by TKO (kick), 2:36, Round 3
.jpg?w=480 "NFL Draft Football")
.JPEG?w=480 "Super Bowl Football")
.jpg?w=480 "Texans Giants Football")
.jpg?w=480)
.jpg?w=600 "Mel Kiper's Top Draft Grades ✍️")
.jpg?w=600 "Mel Kiper's Lowest Draft Grades ❌")
