On the main card of UFC 325, we are going to see a heavyweight matchup between two knockout artists. Fan favorite Tai Tuivasa (14-8) will make his return as he takes on Tallison Teixeira (8-1) who is looking to bounce back after his first and only career loss.
Starting with Teixeira, we last saw him in July when he headlined a Fight Night against Derrick Lewis. Teixeira got finished in just 35 seconds by The Black Beast. Prior to that, Teixeira had won his lone fight inside the octagon where he finished Justin Tafa also in just 35 seconds.
Now, he’ll take on Tai Tuivasa. It’s been more than a year and a half since we’ve seen Tuivasa inside the octagon. “Bam Bam” has had one of the most interesting careers I’ve ever seen in the UFC. After starting his career 9-0, Tuivasa lost three in a row and was on the verge of getting cut by the promotion.
Following that, he won five fights in a row to get into title contention. After that five-fight win streak, he’s now lost five fights in a row. This is do-or-die for Tuivasa and if he loses, he’s likely done inside the octagon.
UFC 325 Prediction
I’m going to start by saying that I believe prime Tai Tuivasa finishes Tallison Teixeira in the first round. I don’t even think that prediction would be hard for me to make. However, I’m struggling to figure out what kind of Tai Tuivasa we are going to get at UFC 325.
Whenever we’ve seen him in the crowd at events over the last year, he hasn’t looked good at all physically. He’s definitely slimmed down for the fight, but I really just don’t know what to expect. With Tallison Teixeira, we really don’t know how good he is. He beat Justin Tafa, but then he got dropped and finished quick by Derrick Lewis.
I keep going back-and-forth because smart money is probably on Teixeira just because you expect the younger contender to improve with time and he’s just 26. However, if both guys are at their best, Tuivasa is the better striker with more power. At the end of the day, I’m going to pick Teixeira because he’s less of an unknown for me at this stage.
I know what Tai Tuivasa can be at this best, but I have no idea what version of him we will get at UFC 325. I do expect a more motivated and improved Teixeira and that’s why I’m picking him.
Prediction: Tallison Teixeira by TKO
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