Preview: UFC Nashville ‘Lewis vs. Teixeira’

Heavyweights

Vitor Petrino (11-2, 4-2 UFC) vs. Austen Lane (13-6, 1 NC; 1-3, 1 NC UFC))

ODDS: Petrino (-700); Lane (+500)

On a card with seemingly a half-dozen fighters who have moved from heavyweight to light heavyweight or vice versa, Petrino’s case might be the most intriguing of all, and he almost certainly has the highest ceiling in his new division. Barely over a year ago, “Icao” was arguably the top rising prospect in the 205-pound division, a big, hyper-explosive mauler who had won his first four UFC fights handily to go 11-0 overall.

That hot start led to a prime main-card slot in his native Brazil at UFC 301 last May, against a foe in Anthony Smith who seemed calculated to get Petrino a signature win and vault him into title contention. Smith snuffed out those plans with a quick and easy-looking submission in just two minutes. That was not cause for too much alarm, as Smith retained his ability to catch aggressive youngsters with his grappling up until almost the very end.

More concerning was Petrino’s next outing, against Dustin Jacoby in the final UFC card of 2024. There were two main issues. One, the former Glory standout showed Petrino’s striking to be technically flawed, driven by his frightening speed and power but actually not too dangerous for a savvy kickboxer with solid footwork like Jacoby. Two, while Petrino already seemed tired and frustrated by the time the pace slowed in Round 3, and looked to be on his way to a 29-28 decision loss, Jacoby caught him with a spectacular one-shot knockout punch that raised questions about Petrino’s chin as well as his defensive fundamentals.

Petrino responded by taking the first half of 2025 off and declaring his intention to move up to heavyweight. It should be a good move; Petrino was a massive, heavily muscled light heavyweight and assuming his physical gifts carry over, his athleticism will stand out even more against his new pool of opponents. First up is Lane, who will at least provide Petrino a good immediate glimpse of just how big UFC heavyweights are.

At a gigantic 6-foot-6 and around 250 pounds, the former professional football player will enjoy a size advantage, but that is about the only advantage he will have. While much will be made of Lane’s college gridiron exploits and years bouncing around the NFL, he is a perfect example of the principle that athleticism means different things in different sports. Simply put, the kind of measurables used in the NFL scouting combine—shuttle drill, high-jump, sprints—mean less in fighting than flexibility, hand-eye coordination and cardiovascular fitness. As an MMA heavyweight, Lane is plodding, slow of hand and foot, and while he has good power in his strikes, so does almost everyone else in the division, and he is more hittable than almost all of them.

Against Robelis Despaigne, Lane wisely exploited the Cuban’s incredibly poor wrestling for an easy win, his only one in the UFC thus far. The rest of his outings have seen him drawn into striking battles against opponents who were more accurate and defensively sound, with predictable results. That will not get better against Petrino, who figures to be faster, harder-hitting and by far the more effective ground fighter, in the event the fight goes there with both men still conscious. The pick is Petrino by first-round knockout.



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Lewis vs. Teixeira
Thompson vs. Bonfim
Kattar vs. Garcia
Landwehr vs. Charriere
Petrino vs. Lane
Tafa vs. Tokkos
The Prelims