Bradley Kaipo Sarbida Tavares (born December 21, 1987) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Middleweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional since 2007, Tavares fought in local promotions before joining the UFC's The Ultimate Fighter 11 in 2010.[3]

Brad Tavares
Tavares at UFC 244 in New York City in November 2019
BornBradley Kaipo Sarbida Tavares[1]
(1987-12-21) December 21, 1987 (age 36)
Kailua, Hawaii, U.S.
Height5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight185 lb (84 kg; 13.2 st)
DivisionMiddleweight
Reach74 in (188 cm)[2]
Fighting out ofLas Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
TeamXtreme Couture
Years active2007–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total29
Wins20
By knockout5
By submission2
By decision13
Losses9
By knockout5
By decision4
Websitebradtavares.com
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

High school career edit

Tavares excelled in high school athletics at Waiakea High School competing in football and in track and field. After high school, he worked as a ramp agent for Hawaiian Airlines. He was 19 when he first fought as a professional.[4]

Mixed martial arts career edit

Early career edit

Tavares started his MMA career in 2007 in his home state of Hawaii, compiling a record of 5–0, with three technical knockouts and two submission wins. He originally started training with Universal Combat Sports in Pearl City, Hawaii, where he competed In Got Skills, then fought his first MMA match in Farrington High School in Kalihi where he got a first Round K.O, there he got approached by MMAD to train there, MMAD (Mixed Martial Arts Development) ran by the likes of Randy Leuder, Brandon Wolff (UFC), and Rob Hesia. He still returns home to Hawaii to train with HQ MMA when not training at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas.[5]

The Ultimate Fighter 11 edit

In March 2010, Tavares was announced as part of the eleventh season of The Ultimate Fighter. In the elimination round, Tavares defeated Jordan Smith via KO (knee) after less than a minute. He was selected fifth by Team Liddell and tenth overall.

Tavares then defeated James Hammortree in the second preliminary fight. After two rounds, the fight was declared a draw and the fighters went to a third round. Tavares took control in the third round and was declared the winner, advancing him into the quarter finals.

In the quarter-finals, Tavares fought Seth Baczynski. As the first round ended, Baczynski threw an illegal soccer kick to the head of Tavares. Baczynski immediately apologized, knowing he could have seriously hurt Tavares, who went to his corner and slumped. After discussing the matter with the doctors, Herb Dean stopped the fight and Tavares was declared the winner by disqualification, advancing him to the semi-finals.

In the semi-finals, Tavares faced teammate Court McGee, for a place in the live final. After a fairly even first two rounds, Tavares was rocked late in the third. McGee then locked in a rear naked choke, handing Tavares his first loss.

Ultimate Fighting Championship edit

At The Ultimate Fighter: Team Liddell vs. Team Ortiz Finale, Tavares had a rematch with Seth Baczynski.[6] Tavares defeated Baczynski via unanimous decision.

Tavares next faced UFC veteran Phil Baroni on January 1, 2011, at UFC 125.[7] He won the fight via KO in the first round.

Tavares faced Aaron Simpson on July 2, 2011, at UFC 132, replacing Jason Miller, who was removed from the card.[8] He lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Tavares was expected to face Tim Credeur on October 29, 2011, at UFC 137.[9] However, Creduer was forced out of the bout, and he was replaced by promotional newcomer Dustin Jacoby.[10] Unfortunately, Tavares was pulled out of the newly made fight due to an injury, setting up a fight between Jacoby and fellow UFC newcomer Clifford Starks.[11]

Tavares fought Yang Dongi on May 15, 2012, at UFC on Fuel TV: The Korean Zombie vs. Poirier.[12] Tavares won a closely contested fight via unanimous decision (29–28, 29–28, 29–28).

Tavares next defeated former BAMMA middleweight champion and UFC newcomer Tom Watson via split decision on at UFC on Fuel TV: Struve vs. Miocic.[13]

Tavares faced Riki Fukuda on March 3, 2013, at UFC on Fuel TV 8 and won via unanimous decision.[14]

Tavares faced Robert McDaniel on August 28, 2013, at UFC Fight Night 27.[15] He won the fight via unanimous decision.

Tavares faced Lorenz Larkin on January 15, 2014, at UFC Fight Night 35. He won the fight via unanimous decision.

Tavares faced Yoel Romero at UFC on Fox 11.[16] He lost the fight via unanimous decision, ending his five-fight win streak.

Tavares next faced Tim Boetsch on August 16, 2014, at UFC Fight Night 47.[17] He lost the fight via TKO in the second round,[18][19] marking the first time Tavares had been stopped as a professional.

Tavares faced Nate Marquardt on January 3, 2015, at UFC 182.[20] He won the fight by unanimous decision.

Tavares faced Robert Whittaker on May 10, 2015, at UFC Fight Night 65.[21] He lost the fight via knockout in the first round.[22]

Tavares was very briefly linked to a bout with Thales Leites on August 6, 2016, at UFC Fight Night 92. However, Tavares was forced out of the fight with a rib injury, and he was replaced by Chris Camozzi.[23]

Tavares returned to face Caio Magalhães on September 10, 2016, at UFC 203.[24] He was awarded a split decision victory.[25]

Tavares was expected to face Héctor Lombard on January 28, 2017, at UFC on Fox 23.[26] However, the bout was scrapped on January 10 due to undisclosed reasons.[27]

Tavares faced Elias Theodorou on July 7, 2017, at The Ultimate Fighter 25 Finale.[28] He won the fight by unanimous decision.[29]

Tavares faced Thales Leites on October 7, 2017, at UFC 216.[30] He won the fight by unanimous decision.[31]

Tavares faced Krzysztof Jotko on April 14, 2018, at UFC on Fox 29.[32] He won the fight via technical knockout in round three.[33]

Tavares faced Israel Adesanya on July 6, 2018, at The Ultimate Fighter 27 Finale.[34][35] He lost the fight via unanimous decision.[36]

Tavares was expected to face Ian Heinisch on October 26, 2019, at UFC Fight Night 162[37] However, Heinisch withdrew from the bout, leading Tavares to replace Krzysztof Jotko against Edmen Shahbazyan at UFC 244 on November 2, 2019.[38] He lost the fight via knockout in the first round.[39]

Tavares was scheduled to face Antônio Carlos Júnior on March 14, 2020, at UFC Fight Night 170.[40] However, Tavares was forced to pull out of the fight due to an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury.[41] The bout with Antônio Carlos Júnior was rescheduled for on January 24, 2021 at UFC 257.[42] Tavares won the fight via unanimous decision.[43]

Tavares faced Omari Akhmedov on July 10, 2021, at UFC 264.[44] He won the fight via split decision.[45]

Tavares was scheduled to face Brendan Allen on December 4, 2021, at UFC on ESPN 31.[46] He eventually pulled out in mid November and was replaced by Roman Dolidze.[47]

Tavares next faced Dricus du Plessis at UFC 276 on July 2, 2022.[48] He lost the fight via unanimous decision.[49]

Tavares was scheduled to face Gregory Rodrigues on January 21, 2023, at UFC 283.[50] However, Tavares withdrawn from the bout due to an injury.[51]

Tavares to faced Bruno Silva on April 22, 2023, at UFC Fight Night 222.[52] He lost the fight via technical knockout in the first round.[53]

Tavares faced former UFC Middleweight Champion Chris Weidman at UFC 292 on August 19, 2023.[54] He won the fight via unanimous decision.[55]

Tavares faced Gregory Rodrigues on February 10, 2024, at UFC Fight Night 236.[56] In a back-and-forth fight, Tavares ended up losing by technical knockout in the third round.[57]

Championships and accomplishments edit

Mixed Martial arts edit

Mixed martial arts record edit

Professional record breakdown
29 matches 20 wins 9 losses
By knockout 5 5
By submission 2 0
By decision 13 4
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Loss 20–9 Gregory Rodrigues TKO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Hermansson vs. Pyfer February 10, 2024 3 0:55 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 20–8 Chris Weidman Decision (unanimous) UFC 292 August 19, 2023 3 5:00 Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Loss 19–8 Bruno Silva TKO (knee and punch) UFC Fight Night: Pavlovich vs. Blaydes April 22, 2023 1 3:35 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss 19–7 Dricus du Plessis Decision (unanimous) UFC 276 July 2, 2022 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 19–6 Omari Akhmedov Decision (split) UFC 264 July 10, 2021 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 18–6 Antônio Carlos Júnior Decision (unanimous) UFC 257 January 24, 2021 3 5:00 Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Loss 17–6 Edmen Shahbazyan KO (head kick) UFC 244 November 2, 2019 1 2:27 New York City, New York, United States
Loss 17–5 Israel Adesanya Decision (unanimous) The Ultimate Fighter: Undefeated Finale July 6, 2018 5 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 17–4 Krzysztof Jotko TKO (punches) UFC on Fox: Poirier vs. Gaethje April 14, 2018 3 2:16 Glendale, Arizona, United States
Win 16–4 Thales Leites Decision (unanimous) UFC 216 October 7, 2017 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 15–4 Elias Theodorou Decision (unanimous) The Ultimate Fighter: Redemption Finale July 7, 2017 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 14–4 Caio Magalhães Decision (split) UFC 203 September 10, 2016 3 5:00 Cleveland, Ohio, United States
Loss 13–4 Robert Whittaker KO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Miocic vs. Hunt May 10, 2015 1 0:44 Adelaide, Australia
Win 13–3 Nate Marquardt Decision (unanimous) UFC 182 January 3, 2015 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss 12–3 Tim Boetsch TKO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Bader vs. St. Preux August 16, 2014 2 3:18 Bangor, Maine, United States
Loss 12–2 Yoel Romero Decision (unanimous) UFC on Fox: Werdum vs. Browne April 19, 2014 3 5:00 Orlando, Florida, United States
Win 12–1 Lorenz Larkin Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Rockhold vs. Philippou January 15, 2014 3 5:00 Duluth, Georgia, United States
Win 11–1 Robert McDaniel Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Condit vs. Kampmann 2 August 28, 2013 3 5:00 Indianapolis, Indiana, United States
Win 10–1 Riki Fukuda Decision (unanimous) UFC on Fuel TV: Silva vs. Stann March 3, 2013 3 5:00 Saitama, Japan
Win 9–1 Tom Watson Decision (split) UFC on Fuel TV: Struve vs. Miocic September 29, 2012 3 5:00 Nottingham, England
Win 8–1 Yang Dongi Decision (unanimous) UFC on Fuel TV: The Korean Zombie vs. Poirier May 15, 2012 3 5:00 Fairfax, Virginia, United States
Loss 7–1 Aaron Simpson Decision (unanimous) UFC 132 July 2, 2011 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 7–0 Phil Baroni KO (knees and punches) UFC 125 January 1, 2011 1 4:20 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 6–0 Seth Baczynski Decision (unanimous) The Ultimate Fighter: Team Liddell vs. Team Ortiz Finale June 19, 2010 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 5–0 Jonathan João TKO (punches) X-1: Temple of Boom 4 March 7, 2009 1 N/A Honolulu, Hawaii, United States
Win 4–0 Joshua Ferreira Submission (rear-naked choke) X-1: Temple of Boom 1 September 27, 2008 2 2:28 Honolulu, Hawaii, United States
Win 3–0 Devin Kauwe TKO (punches) Icon Sport: Hard Times August 2, 2008 1 1:52 Honolulu, Hawaii, United States
Win 2–0 John Ferrel Submission (rear-naked choke) Niko Vitale Promotions: Local Pride April 18, 2008 1 0:18 Honolulu, Hawaii, United States
Win 1–0 Thomas Sedano TKO (punches) MMAC: Conflict: The Beginning June 29, 2007 1 0:40 Honolulu, Hawaii, United States

[60]

Mixed martial arts exhibition record edit

Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Loss 3–1 Court McGee Submission (rear-naked choke) The Ultimate Fighter: Team Liddell vs. Team Ortiz Mar 2, 2010 3 4:48 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States The Ultimate Fighter 11 Semi-final round.
Win 3–0 Seth Baczynski DQ (illegal knee) Feb 23, 2010 1 5:00 The Ultimate Fighter 11 Quarterfinal round.
Win 2–0 James Hammortree Decision (unanimous) Feb 1, 2010 3 5:00 The Ultimate Fighter 11 Preliminary round.
Win 1–0 Jordan Smith KO (knee) Jan 23, 2010 1 0:45 The Ultimate Fighter 11 Elimination round.

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Brad Tavares MMA Fighter Page". Tapology. Retrieved 2024-04-03.
  2. ^ "Fight Card - UFC Fight Night Werdum vs. Browne". UFC.com. Archived from the original on November 19, 2014. Retrieved April 21, 2014.
  3. ^ "The Ultimate Fighter 11 cast unveiled with 28 middleweight fighters". MMAJunkie.com. Archived from the original on 2010-03-03. Retrieved 2010-03-03.
  4. ^ "Five Things You Might Not Know About Brad Tavares". Sherdog.
  5. ^ "Team ATH Brad Tavares". ATH Organics. Archived from the original on 30 October 2014. Retrieved 30 October 2014.
  6. ^ "TUF 11 Finale prelims include Tavares vs. Baczynski, Camozzi vs Hammortree". MMAJunkie.com. June 9, 2010. Archived from the original on June 13, 2010. Retrieved June 20, 2010.
  7. ^ "Phil Baroni vs. Brad Tavares targeted for UFC 125 on Jan. 1". October 11, 2010. Archived from the original on 2010-11-25. Retrieved 2012-09-11.
  8. ^ "UFC 132: Aaron Simpson vs Brad Tavares fight booked for July 2 in Las Vegas". mmamania.com. May 31, 2011.
  9. ^ "Tim Credeur vs. Brad Tavares added to UFC 137 in Las Vegas". mmajunkie.com. July 20, 2011. Archived from the original on 2011-07-22.
  10. ^ "Tim Credeur out, Dustin Jacoby in against Brad Tavares at UFC 137". MMAJunkie.com. October 1, 2011. Archived from the original on October 2, 2011. Retrieved October 1, 2011.
  11. ^ "UFC 137: Brad Tavares injury promotes Jeff Curran vs Scott Jorgensen to televised fight card". MMAMania.com. October 21, 2011. Retrieved October 21, 2011.
  12. ^ "Tavares vs. Yang added to UFC on FUEL TV 3". mmajunkie.com. February 11, 2012. Archived from the original on February 13, 2012.
  13. ^ "UFC: Nottingham Adds Tom 'Kong' Watson vs. Brad Tavares". mmaweekly.com. 5 July 2012. Retrieved July 5, 2012.
  14. ^ "Brad Tavares vs. Riki Fukuda Confirmed for UFC on Fuel 8". mmaweekly.com. 13 December 2012.
  15. ^ Staff (2013-06-04). "McDaniel vs. Tavares to UFC on FOX Sports 1 2 in Indy". mmajunkie.com. Archived from the original on 2013-06-09. Retrieved 2013-06-04.
  16. ^ UFC News (2014-02-04). "#UFCFightNight in Orlando bout update! @bambamhealy vs @GamebredFighter and @BradTavares vs @YoelRomeroMMA. Tix on sale next Friday". UFC. Retrieved 2014-02-04.
  17. ^ Staff (2014-06-11). "Tim Boetsch vs. Brad Tavares added to UFC Fight Night 47". mmajunkie. Retrieved 2014-06-11.
  18. ^ "UFC Fight Night 47 results, photos: Boetsch struggles early, rallies to beat Tavares". 17 August 2014.
  19. ^ "Tim Boetsch TKO's Brad Tavares At UFC Fight Night 47 - MMAFrenzy.com".
  20. ^ Staff (2014-10-23). "Nate Marquardt vs. Brad Tavares booked for UFC 182 in Las Vegas". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2014-10-23.
  21. ^ Staff (2012-02-17). "UFC Fight Night 65 official for Australia with Hunt-Miocic, Tavares-Whittaker, more". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2012-02-17.
  22. ^ Thomas Myers (10 May 2015). "UFC Fight Night 65 results: Robert Whittaker flattens, finishes Brad Tavares in 44 seconds". mmamania.com. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
  23. ^ Marcelo Barone and Raphael Marinho (2016-06-15). "Chris Camozzi replaces Brad Tavares and is the new Thales Leites opponent (Brazilian Portuguese)". sportv.globo.com. Retrieved 2016-06-15.
  24. ^ Staff (2016-07-21). "Brad Tavares vs. Caio Magalhaes headed to UFC 203 in Cleveland". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2016-07-21.
  25. ^ Steven Marrocco (2016-09-10). "UFC 203 results: Brad Tavares returns from 16-month layoff to take split call from Caio Magalhaes". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2015-09-10.
  26. ^ Liam Ducey (2016-12-02). "UFC: Hector Lombard faces fight for MMA survival". smh.com.au. Retrieved 2016-12-02.
  27. ^ John Morgan and Steven Marrocco (2017-01-10). "UFC on FOX 23 loses Hector Lombard vs. Brad Tavares, adds Alessio Di Chirico vs. Eric Spicely". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2017-01-11.
  28. ^ Staff (2017-04-18). "Elias Theodorou vs. Brad Tavares booked for TUF 25 Finale in Las Vegas". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2017-04-18.
  29. ^ "TUF 25 Finale results: Brad Tavares outscores Elias Theodorou for narrow unanimous decision". MMAjunkie. 2017-07-08. Retrieved 2017-07-08.
  30. ^ Mike Sloan (2017-08-02). "UFC 216 bolstered with several bouts". sherdog.com. Retrieved 2017-08-02.
  31. ^ "UFC 216 results: Brad Tavares jabs, kicks way to unanimous decision over Thales Leites". MMAjunkie. 2017-10-07. Retrieved 2017-10-08.
  32. ^ Staff (2018-02-07). "Brad Tavares vs. Krzysztof Jotko slated for UFC on FOX 29 in Arizona". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2018-02-07.
  33. ^ "UFC on FOX 29 results: Brad Tavares finishes Krzysztof Jotko, calls out Michael Bisping". MMAjunkie. 2018-04-14. Retrieved 2018-04-15.
  34. ^ Staff (2018-04-30). "Brad Tavares vs Israel Adesanya headlines The Ultimate Fighter 27 Finale in July". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2018-04-30.
  35. ^ Guilherme Cruz (2018-06-13). "Thiago Santos to serve as backup plan for TUF 27 Finale main event". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2018-06-13.
  36. ^ "TUF 27 Finale Results | Israel Adesanya defeats Brad Tavares (Highlights) | BJPenn.com". | BJPenn.com. 2018-07-06. Retrieved 2018-07-07.
  37. ^ Staff (2019-08-29). "Brad Tavares takes on Ian Heinisch in UFC return in Singapore". khon2.com. Retrieved 2019-08-29.
  38. ^ Mike Bohn (October 2, 2019). "Brad Tavares moved to UFC 244 for matchup with unbeaten Edmen Shahbazyan". mmajunkie.com.
  39. ^ Doherty, Dan (2019-11-02). "UFC 244 Results: Edmen Shahbazyan Knocks Out Brad Tavares With First Round Head Kick". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2019-11-03.
  40. ^ Redactie (2 December 2019). "Hawaiian Brad Tavares meets Antonio Carlos Junior during UFC Brasilia". Retrieved 2019-12-03. (in Dutch)
  41. ^ Marcelo Barone and Raphael Marinho (30 December 2019). "Brad Tavares injured and out of fight against Cara de Sapato at UFC Brasília". Globoesporte. Retrieved 2019-12-31.(in Portuguese)
  42. ^ DNA, MMA (2020-10-31). "UFC onderneemt tweede poging voor Tavares vs. "Shoeface", ditmaal op 23 januari aanstaande". MMA DNA. Retrieved 2020-11-03.
  43. ^ Fortune, Ryan (2021-01-23). "UFC 257 Results: Brad Tavares Defends Takedowns, Outstrikes Antonio Carlos Junior to a Unanimous Decision Victory". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2021-01-24.
  44. ^ Staff (2021-03-26). "Omari Akhmedov vs. Brad Tavares booked for July 10". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2021-03-26.
  45. ^ Vreeland, Daniel (2021-07-10). "UFC 264 Results: Brad Tavares' Leg Kicks Pay Off, Takes Split Over Omari Akhmedov". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2021-07-11.
  46. ^ Farah Hannoun (2021-09-14). "Brendan Allen vs. Brad Tavares added to UFC Fight Night on Dec. 4". MMA Junkie. Retrieved 2021-09-14.
  47. ^ Alexander K. Lee (2021-11-18). "Roman Dolidze steps in for Brad Tavares to fight Brendan Allen at UFC Vegas 44". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2021-11-18.
  48. ^ Alexander K. Lee (2022-04-19). "Brad Tavares vs. Dricus Du Plessis set for UFC 276". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2022-04-19.
  49. ^ Doherty, Dan (2022-07-02). "UFC 276: Dricus Du Plessis Batters Brad Tavares in Bloody Brawl". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2022-07-03.
  50. ^ Jay Anderson (2022-09-28). "Gregory Rodrigues vs. Brad Tavares Booked for UFC 283". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2022-09-28.
  51. ^ Nolan King (2023-01-10). "Brad Tavares out of UFC 283 matchup vs. Gregory Rodrigues". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2023-01-10.
  52. ^ Tkaczuk, Michał (2023-02-07). "Walka Brada Tavaresa z Bruno Silvą na kwietniowej gali UFC | MMAROCKS". MMA Rocks! (in Polish). Retrieved 2023-02-09.
  53. ^ Anderson, Jay (2023-04-22). "UFC Vegas 71: Bruno Silva Rocks, Drops Brad Tavares — Who Protests Finish". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2023-04-24.
  54. ^ Danny Segura, Mike Bohn (June 5, 2023). "Former UFC champion Chris Weidman booked to return against Brad Tavares at UFC 292". MMA Junkie.
  55. ^ Anderson, Jay (2023-08-19). "UFC 292: Brad Tavares Chews Up Lead Leg of Returning Chris Weidman". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2023-08-20.
  56. ^ "Gregory Rodrigues to meet Brad Tavares in middleweight bout at UFC Fight Night on Feb. 10". MMA Junkie. 2023-11-15. Retrieved 2023-11-16.
  57. ^ Anderson, Jay (2024-02-11). "UFC Vegas 86: Gregory Rodrigues Explodes in Third, TKOs Brad Tavares". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2024-02-11.
  58. ^ a b c d e f "UFC Middleweight Division - Stats". UFC. 2023-04-22.
  59. ^ UFC (January 28, 2024). "UFC All Fighters – Stats". UFC.com.
  60. ^ Sherdog.com. "Brad Tavares MMA Stats, Pictures, News, Videos, Biography - Sherdog.com". Sherdog. Retrieved 2018-11-08.

External links edit