UFC heavyweight Tallison Teixeira shared his reaction after being brutally knocked out by Sergei Pavlovich at UFC Macau.

Pavlovich needed just 39 seconds to destroy Teixeira and devastatingly finish the fight. For Pavlovich, it’s a huge win for the No. 3-ranked heavyweight contender, as he closes in on a title shot, while for Teixeira, it’s a bad loss that could see him booted from the rankings. The Brazilian entered this fight as the No. 15-ranked heavyweight, but might be removed from the rankings after losing two of his last three fights by knockout.

Tallison Teixeira Releases Statement After Brutal KO Loss at UFC Macau

Taking to his social media after his brutal KO loss at UFC Macau, Teixeira shared his reaction to his defeat, one that dropped his UFC record to 2-2 overall.

“It wasn’t a good night at work but we’ll come back better and stronger, I just have to thank everyone who supported me and sent me a message, it’s not the first time I’ve fallen but I’ll always get up,” Teixeira wrote on his Instagram.

For Teixeira, this was a tremendous opportunity for him to fly up the heavyweight rankings, as he entered the bout at No. 15 as mentioned above, with Pavlovich all the way up at No. 3. But the Russian defended his ranking and showed once again why he is one of the most dangerous heavyweights in the sport with another brutal knockout to get one step closer to a HW title shot.

What’s Next for Tallison Teixeira?

It’s certainly going to be interesting to see what the UFC matchmakers have in store next for Teixeira.

After going 6-0 on the regional scene with six first-round finishes after he began his MMA career in 2021, Teixeira earned a UFC contract after another first-round knockout on Dana White’s Contender Series. He then picked up an impressive elbow KO over Justin Tafa in his UFC debut, earning a Performance of the Night bonus in the process.

The UFC then attempted to fast-track Teixeira up the heavyweight ladder, giving him a main event spot against KO king Derrick Lewis, but he was upset when Lewis blitzed him and finished him in just 35 seconds. Teixeira then got back into the win column with a decision win over Tai Tuivasa, but this loss to Pavlovich is no doubt another huge setback in his MMA career.

At just 26, Teixeira is still incredibly young in a UFC heavyweight division that is home to many older fighters in their late 30s and 40s, and at 6’8″, he is blessed with a height that very few other heavyweights can say they boast. But he appears to have chin issues, and his striking defense is very porous, to say the least.

The UFC needs to give Teixeira a bit of a step down in competition against someone unranked in order to try to boost his confidence. He’s still only 26, so he has time on his side to improve and attempt to become something special one day. But right now, he’s just not a true heavyweight contender.