Tag: Brad Tavares

UFC Fight Night 244 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Brad Tavares gets $21,000 in record bout

UFC Fight Night 244 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that continued after the UFC’s deal with Venum.

LAS VEGAS – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 244 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $186,000.

The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.

UFC Fight Night 244 took place at the UFC Apex. The card aired on ESPN and streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC Fight Night 244 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Brandon Royval[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Tatsuro Taira[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]JunYong Park[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Brad Tavares[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Chidi Njokuani[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Jared Gooden[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Grant Dawson[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Rafa Garcia[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Daniel Rodriguez[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Alex Morono[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Ramazan Temirov[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]CJ Vergara[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Pat Sabatini[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Jonathan Pearce[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Themba Gorimbo[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Niko Price[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Junior Tafa[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Sean Sharaf[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Julia Polastri[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Cory McKenna[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Cody Haddon[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Dan Argueta[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Clayton Carpenter[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Lucas Rocha[/autotag]: $4,000

Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Venum’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2011 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $4,000 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,630; 6-10 bouts get $6,000; 11-15 bouts earn $11,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $16,000; and 21 bouts and more get $21,000. Additionally, champions earn $32,000 while title challengers get $42,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-63 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2024 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $6,488,500
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $29,225,500

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 244.

Jun Yong Park vs. Brad Tavares prediction, pick, start time for UFC Fight Night 244

Jun Yong Park and Brad Tavares enter the UFC Fight Night 244 co-main looking to rebound from a loss. Which middleweight will get it done?

[autotag]Jun Yong Park[/autotag] and [autotag]Brad Tavares[/autotag] meet Saturday on the main card of UFC Fight Night 244 at UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Check out this quick breakdown of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom. 

Last event: 3-2
UFC main cards, 2024: 84-74-3

Jun Yong Park vs. Brad Tavares UFC Fight Night 244 preview

Park (17-6 MMA, 7-3 UFC) will enter the octagon for the first time in 2024. He will seek to rebound from a heartbreaking split decision loss to Andre Muniz in December, which snapped a four-fight winning streak that included three rear-naked choke submission victories. … Tavares (20-9 MMA, 15-9 UFC) will also look to bounce back from a loss in his previous fight. In February, Gregory Rodrigues stopped Tavares in the third round. Before the setback, Tavares won a unanimous decision over former UFC champ Chris Weidman.

Jun Yong Park vs. Brad Tavares UFC Fight Night 244 expert pick, prediction

The co-main event in the Apex features a re-booked attraction at 185 pounds between Park and Tavares.

Despite my usual stated bias toward Tavares and his camp, this is a fight between two fighters I thoroughly enjoy watching.

It’s hard not to be a fan of Park, and I can see why “The Iron Turtle” is favored to win on the betting lines. That said, I suspect that Tavares quietly presents a tough stylistic test for the Korean.

Not only will Park have the arguable crux of his game stymied by his Hawaiian counterpart’s stellar takedown defense, but Tavares will also be one of the few fighters who can jab with him (something that has troubled Park the few times he’s encountered it in his UFC career).

Add in the calf kicks that I see being ponent on Park’s stance, and I can’t help but side with Tavares to edge out a competitive decision on the scorecards.

Either way, I hope that Tavares finally starts to get more respect than he does for a fighter who has been able to stay afloat for so long in this organization.

Jun Yong Park vs. Brad Tavares UFC Fight Night 244 odds

The oddsmakers and public favor the Korean fighter, listing Park -188 and Tavares +152 via FanDuel.

Jun Yong Park vs. Brad Tavares UFC Fight Night 244 start time, how to watch

Park and Tavares are expected to walk to the cage at approximately 9:05 p.m. ET (6:05 p.m. PT). The fight will stream on ESPN+.

[lawrence-related id=2777789,2777913,2777261]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 244.

UFC Fight Night 244: Brad Tavares vs. Junyong Park odds, picks and predictions

Analyzing Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 244 odds between Brad Tavares vs. Junyong Park, with MMA picks and predictions.

[gambcom-standard rankid=”4141″ ]

In a 3-round middleweight bout on the main card, Brad Tavares and Junyon Park meet Saturday at UFC Fight Night 244 — also known as UFC Vegas 98 and UFC on ESPN+ 102 — at the UFC Apex. Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s UFC odds around the UFC Night Night 244: Tavares vs. Park odds, and make our expert picks and predictions.

The prelims begin at 4 p.m. ET on ESPN+, and the main card begins at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN+.

Records: Tavares (20-10-0) | Park (17-6-0)

Tavares heads into this bout looking to bounce back from a 3rd-round KO/TKO against Gregory Rodrigues in mid-February, and he is just 1-3 in the past 4 bouts.

The 36-year-old fighter for Team Xtreme Couture has been with the promotion since making his debut at UFC 125 on New Year’s Day 2011. In the past 22 bouts since July 2, 2011, including TUF Finale fights, he has ended up going the distance in 16 of those outings.

Park is looking to rebound after a split-decision setback to Andre Muniz in early December. That halted a 4-fight win streak, including 3 straight submission victories from Oct. 2022 to July 2023.

Tavares holds a slight 1-inch reach advantage, while Park is ahead with a 4.53-to-3.38 significant strikes landed per minute. Park is much more accurate with those strikes at 58.77%, while Tavares checks in at 48.21%. Park is better in the takedown game, too, posting a 1.83 takedown average and 50.0% takedown accuracy percentage, while posting a 1.05 submission average.

Watch this card with ESPN+ by signing up here.

UFC Fight Night 244: Tavares vs. Park odds

Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list of UFC odds. Lines last updated at 10:45 a.m. ET.

  • Fight result (2-way line): Tavares +160 (bet $100 to win $160) | Park -190 (bet $190 to win $100)
  • Will the fight go the distance? (Yes -200 | No +150)

[gambcom-standard rankid=”4132″ ]

UFC Fight Night 244: Tavares vs. Park picks and predictions

Fight result (2-way line or moneyline)

PARK (-190) is a little on the expensive side, but he isn’t a bad play if you were to include him in part of a multi-leg parlay.

While Tavares (+160) holds a slight lead in reach advantage, that’s about the only area he is ahead. He’ll want to avoid going down to the canvas with Park, or this will be a short outing. He has been involved in 3 submissions in his entire career, with a rear-naked choke loss to Court McGee June 16, 2010 at the TUF 11 Semifinal in his most recent bout via submission.

PARK BY SUBMISSION (+800), for the chance to multiply up by 8 times, is a tremendous value, and you need to make that part of wagers.

Over/Under (O/U)

NO (+150): WILL THE FIGHT GO THE DISTANCE is a great idea.

Park by submission is certainly worth a roll of the dice, and if that happens, both of these wagers go hand in hand.

Yes, Tavares has gone the distance in 16 of his past 22 professional bouts, but he has finished inside the distance in 2 of the past 3 outings.

Visit MMA Junkie for more fight news and analysis.

[gambcom-standard rankid=”6305″ ]

For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.

Follow Kevin J. Erickson on Twitter/X. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter/X and us on Facebook.

[lawrence-newsletter]

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=2559]

Brad Tavares initially annoyed with JunYong Park rebooking date, but now just hopes he wants to trade leather

Initially annoyed he didn’t accept an earlier rebooking after his staph infection, Brad Tavares has one way JunYong Park can make amends.

LAS VEGAS – Three months ago, [autotag]Brad Tavares[/autotag] was all set to throw leather with [autotag]JunYong Park[/autotag]. Then he got off the scale and picked up his phone.

The way Tavares recalled it Wednesday, his manager called not long after he made weight for a middleweight fight with Park on July 20. The commission didn’t clear Park because of a staph infection. And while that seems flukey and forgivable, Tavares might be a little bit salty that he and Park only just now are about to fight in their rebooking.

And that, Tavares (20-9 MMA, 15-9 UFC) thinks, is on Park (17-6 MMA, 7-3 UFC) for not being down with an originally offered Aug. 10 rebooking.

“I wanted to keep the fight, obviously,” Tavares said at media day for UFC Fight Night 244, the new home of their fight, which will be the co-main event at the UFC Apex. “I went through an entire training camp preparing for this specific opponent. I don’t want that to go to waste. … Now we’re going to go through a full camp again. I didn’t understand (Park not agreeing to August) but it is what it is, I guess – God’s plan.

“… But obviously I was frustrated with it. I was pretty irritated with it.”

Tavares speculated that Park had something else going on in his life that would’ve made the first offered rebooking a nuisance. But regardless of the reason, annoyance or irritation isn’t likely to help the longtime Hawaiian fighter Saturday.

Park is about a 2-1 favorite at the betting window. He had a four-fight winning streak that included three straight rear-naked choke finishes snapped by a split-call loss to Andre Muniz this past December.

“He’s very well-rounded and puts MMA together,” Tavares said. “I don’t think he’s a specialist or an expert anywhere, and obviously he doesn’t have the kickboxing or boxing accolades, the wrestling or even the jiu-jitsu. But he does put them all together well. He’s a very complete MMA fighter.

“I think his biggest attribute is his toughness, just how tough he is. I’ve watched him in fights where you think, ‘OK, this this guy is done,’ and he pulls it out – very similar to (middleweight champion) Dricus (Du Plessis). But I don’t think he’s nowhere near as dangerous as Dricus.”

At the end of the day, though, maybe Park could be forgiven the whole rebooking date thing with Tavares if he agreed to a standup fight in the co-feature. Tavares fears, though, that Park will want to head to the canvas.

“I would hope (he wants to trade punches), but honestly I think that he’s going to want to go to the ground where he feels like he has his best advantage,” he said. “But if it ends up being a kickboxing (fight), I’ll take that all day.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 244.

UFC on ESPN 60 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Program total passes $27 million

The UFC has issued more than $27 million in Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay to fighters after UFC on ESPN 60.

LAS VEGAS – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 60 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $139,000.

The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.

UFC on ESPN 60 took place at the UFC Apex. The main card ESPN and streamed on ESPN+ following prelims on ESPN2 and ESPN+.

The full UFC on ESPN 60 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Virna Jandiroba[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Amanda Lemos[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Steve Garcia[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Seungwoo Choi[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Kurt Holobaugh[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Kaynan Kruschewsky[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Bruno Silva[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Cody Durden[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Dooho Choi[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Bill Algeo[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Hyder Amil[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Jeong Yeong Lee[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Cody Gibson[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Brian Kelleher[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Miranda Maverick[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Dione Barbosa[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Trey Ogden[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Loik Radzhabov[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Luana Carolina[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Lucie Pudilova[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Thomas Petersen[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Mohammed Usman[/autotag]: $4,500

Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Venum’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2011 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $4,000 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,600; 6-10 bouts get $6,000; 11-15 bouts earn $11,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $16,000; and 21 bouts and more get $21,000. Additionally, champions earn $32,000 while title challengers get $42,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-60 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2024 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $4,268,000
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $27,005,000

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 60.

Junyong Park not medically cleared, UFC on ESPN 60 co-main event vs. Brad Tavares scrapped

There seemed to be good vibes at the UFC on ESPN 60 official weigh-ins after everyone hit their marks.

LAS VEGAS – There seemed to be good vibes at the UFC on ESPN 60 official weigh-ins after everyone hit their marks.

But then things took a turn into #ApexVibes territory when the co-main event, just minutes after it had become official when both fighters made weight, was scrapped.

[autotag]Junyong Park[/autotag] (17-6 MMA, 7-3 UFC) made weight without issues for his middleweight co-main event against [autotag]Brad Tavares[/autotag] (20-9 MMA, 15-9 UFC) about 10 minutes into the two-hour window. After that, he had to go through customary physical checks with the Nevada Athletic Commission, and he didn’t pass.

Tavares made weight a bit later at 185.5, but it proved to be pointless when the commission ruled Park out at UFC on ESPN 60 (ESPN/ESPN+), which takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

That makes the featherweight fight between Seungwoo Choi (11-6 MMA, 4-5 UFC) and Steve Garcia (15-5 MMA, 4-2 UFC) the new co-main event.

With 34 combined UFC fights, the bout between Park and Tavares was by far the one between the two most experienced fighters on Saturday’s lineup, which will move forward with 11 bouts and a new start time.

With the change, the UFC on ESPN 60 lineup now includes:

MAIN CARD (ESPN/ESPN+, 8 p.m. ET)

  • Amanda Lemos vs. Virna Jandiroba
  • Seungwoo Choi vs. Steve Garcia
  • Kurt Holobaugh vs. Kaynan Kruschewsky
  • Cody Durden vs. Bruno Silva
  • Bill Algeo vs. Dooho Choi
  • Hyder Amil vs. Jeong Yeong Lee

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN2/ESPN+, 5:30 p.m. ET)

  • Cody Gibson vs. Brian Kelleher
  • Dione Barbosa vs. Miranda Maverick
  • Trey Ogden vs. Loik Radzhabov
  • Luana Carolina vs. Lucie Pudilova
  • Thomas Petersen vs. Mohammed Usman

UFC Fight Night 236 post-event facts: Rodolfo Vieira claims record with another arm-triangle choke

Check out all the facts from UFC Fight Night 236, which saw Rodolfo Vieira become the all-time octagon leader in arm-triangle choke wins.

The UFC’s lengthy stretch of events rolled on Saturday with UFC Fight Night 236 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

[autotag]Jack Hermansson[/autotag] (24-8 MMA, 11-6 UFC) emerged victorious in the main event when he scored an upset of [autotag]Joe Pyfer[/autotag] (12-3 MMA, 3-1 UFC) by unanimous decision in their middleweight bout.

For more on the numbers from the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC Fight Night 236.

UFC Fight Night 236 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Multiple veterans net max non-title money

UFC Fight Night 236 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that continued after the UFC’s deal with Venum.

LAS VEGAS – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 236 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $236,500.

The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.

UFC Fight Night 236 took place at the UFC Apex. The entire card streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC Fight Night 236 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Jack Hermansson[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Joe Pyfer[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Dan Ige[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Andre Fili[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Robert Bryczek[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Ihor Potieria[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Gregory Rodrigues[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Brad Tavares[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Michael Johnson[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Darrius Flowers[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Rodolfo Vieira[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Armen Petrosyan[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Carlos Prates[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Trevin Giles[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Bolaji Oki[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Tim Cuamba[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Loma Lookboonmee[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Bruna Brasil[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Marcin Prachnio[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Devin Clark[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Max Griffin[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Jeremiah Wells[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Bogdan Guskov[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Zac Pauga[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Hyder Amil[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Fernie Garcia[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Daniel Marcos[/autotag]: $4,000
vs. [autotag]Aori Qileng[/autotag]: $6,000

Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Venum’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2361 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $4,000 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,500; 6-10 bouts get $6,000; 11-15 bouts earn $11,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $16,000; and 21 bouts and more get $21,000. Additionally, champions earn $42,000 while title challengers get $32,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-30 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2024 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $850,000
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $23,557,000

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 236.

Call Brad Tavares a gatekeeper all you want – he knows how he stacks up

The term “gatekeeper” usually has a bad connotation in combat sports. But Brad Tavares doesn’t mind if that’s what he is … for now.

The term “gatekeeper” usually has a bad connotation in combat sports.

To be one, it means regularly being on the cusp of greatness – but also regularly just short while someone else goes on to, in this case, a middleweight title. So to get to that point to begin with: Very, very good. But most fighters don’t want that label saddled on them.

And [autotag]Brad Tavares[/autotag] (20-8 MMA, 15-8 UFC) no doubt would prefer to ditch the term, too. But if that’s the word you have to describe where he’s at right now in his UFC career, ahead of a fight against Gregory Rodrigues (14-5 MMA, 5-2 UFC), so be it.

“It is what it is. Yes: I look at the guys that I’ve fought and if they’ve gotten past me, boom, go on to be the champion. If somebody wants to say it in a negative way, then that’s on them. I don’t take it negatively,” Tavares said Wednesday at a media day for UFC Fight Night 236 (ESPN+), which goes down Saturday in Las Vegas.

Tavares lost to Robert Whittaker in 2015; Whittaker had gold around his waist five fights later. He lost to Israel Adesanya in 2018; Adesanya was a champ less than a year later. And in July 2022, he dropped a decision to current champ Dricus du Plessis.

So call him gatekeeper, but it means he’s right there – and regularly.

“I’m here fighting the best guys, and if they do make it past me, they’ve shown that they’ve gone on to become champions: Israel and Rob, Dricus – but all guys that I know on any given day, I can … I could still beat these guys. So that makes me excited, actually.”

This past August, Tavares got a much-needed win after a two-fight skid to du Plessis and Bruno Silva when he outworked former champion Chris Weidman at UFC 292. On paper, it’s arguably the biggest win of Tavares’ career.

The matchup with Rodrigues is a rebooking from a year ago, when Tavares pulled out with an injury. And though he said he didn’t care if it came back around, he sees a chance to stay in that gatekeeper lane with a win – and then the chance to push for more.

“I didn’t care (that we got rebooked), honestly,” Tavares said. “It was great to fight somebody like Chris Weidman, and honestly, if there had been another Chris Weidman-type fight out there, I would’ve loved that opportunity. But this is the fight that was presented, and it’s good to get it back and I guess settle the score. We were supposed to fight a year ago. It didn’t happen. Here we are a year later. I like the matchup. I think it’s a good matchup for me.”

Check out Tavares’ full interview in the video above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 236.

Gregory Rodrigues: Brad Tavares ‘has a lot of experience, but I believe his time is gone’

Gregory Rodrigues is ready to springboard his career off of Brad Tavares.

[autotag]Gregory Rodrigues[/autotag] is ready to springboard his career off of [autotag]Brad Tavares[/autotag].

Rodrigues (14-5 MMA, 5-2 UFC) meets Tavares (20-8 MMA, 15-8 UFC) on Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 236 (ESPN+) main card at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Tavares, a perennial middleweight contender, has fought just about every notable name, from former champions Israel Adesanya, Robert Whittaker and Chris Weidman to current champion Dricus Du Plessis. Rodrigues thinks beating someone like Tavares could be his ticket to a big fight.

“Brad fought maybe everyone in the division,” Rodrigues said at Wednesday’s UFC Fight Night 236 media day. “He has a lot of experience, but I believe his time is gone and now is my time. I’m ready for this.

“And if you see so many of the guys that fought him and beat him, they fought against someone at the top. I don’t know if that’s going to happen, if they’re going to offer me, but I believe it’s going to be one good step in my career.”

Rodrigues wanting to fight top-level competition is more of a desire than a demand. He’s willing to put in the necessary work to get there.

“I’m not going to rush,” Rodrigues said. “I don’t want to be like, ‘Oh, I need that.’ I want to do what I need to do. My plan is two more fights this year – maybe in the middle of the year and the end of the year. I believe I will finish this year on top of the contenders and my goal is to be a champion. I’m looking up, and I will take my time – but I will climb that.”

[lawrence-related id=2713753,2713767,2713600,2713553]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 236.