Tag: Brad Tavares

UFC Fight Night 236 pre-event facts: Brad Tavares on verge of a Michael Bisping record

The best facts about UFC Fight Night 236, where Brad Tavares can tie multiple key records in middleweight and overall UFC history.

The UFC continues its busy February schedule Saturday with UFC Fight Night 236, which takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and streams on ESPN+.

For the third straight event, middleweights take stage in the headliner as [autotag]Jack Hermansson[/autotag] (23-8 MMA, 10-6 UFC) returns from a career-long layoff to share the octagon with the surging [autotag]Joe Pyfer[/autotag] (12-2 MMA, 3-0 UFC) in a five-round bout.

For more on the numbers behind the main event, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s pre-event facts about UFC Fight Night 235.

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Matchup Roundup: New UFC fights announced in the past week (Nov. 13-19)

All the UFC fight announcements that were first reported or confirmed by MMA Junkie in the past week.

MMA fight announcements are hard to follow. With so many outlets and channels available, it’s nearly impossible to organize.

But here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got your back.

Each week, we’ll compile all the newly surfaced fights in one spot. Every Monday, expect a feature listing everything you might have missed from the UFC.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie or officially announced by the promotions from Nov. 13-19.

Gregory Rodrigues to meet Brad Tavares in middleweight bout at UFC Fight Night on Feb. 10

A middleweight banger between Gregory Rodrigues and Brad Tavares is headed to the UFC octagon early next year.

A middleweight banger is headed to the octagon early next year.

[autotag]Gregory Rodrigues[/autotag] announced Wednesday on Instagram that he will fight [autotag]Brad Tavares[/autotag] on Feb. 10 at a UFC Fight Night. Although the UFC hasn’t made an official announcement, a person with knowledge of the situation confirmed the booking to MMA Junkie.

Rodrigues (14-5 MMA, 5-2 UFC), affectionately known as “Robocop,” has won three of his past four bouts, most recently defeating Denis Tiuliulin by first-round TKO this past August at UFC 292. The result got Rodrigues back in the win column after he was knocked out by Brunno Ferreira in his previous bout.

Tavares (20-8 MMA, 15-8 UFC) snapped a two-fight skid in his last outing when he beat former UFC champion Chris Weidman by unanimous decision at UFC 292. Prior to that, Tavares had lost back-to-back bouts to Dricus Du Plessis by decision and Bruno Silva by first-round TKO.

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Brad Tavares’ UFC wish list includes rematch with Dricus Du Plessis or ‘far-fetched’ Conor McGregor fight

Brad Tavares knows his wish list isn’t too realistic, but that didn’t stop him from laying it out.

[autotag]Brad Tavares[/autotag] knows his wish list isn’t too realistic, but that didn’t stop him from laying it out.

Tavares (20-9 MMA, 15-8 UFC) snapped a two-fight losing skid by spoiling Chris Weidman’s return in a unanimous decision win less than two weeks ago at UFC 292 in Boston.

The longtime middleweight contender has fought just about every notable name in the division, from current middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, to former champ Robert Whittaker, and top contender [autotag]Dricus Du Plessis[/autotag], who he would love to avenge his loss to. Du Plessis defeated Tavares at UFC 276 by decision – the only opponent he was unable to finish throughout his career.

“Obviously, I would love to get it back with some of the people I dropped to, one of those being Dricus,” Tavares told MMA Junkie Radio. “After me, he went on a run, and if I could get that fight back, I would love that.

“Obviously where he is and where I’m at – well, I’m coming off a win, but before that two losses, it doesn’t make a lot of sense. … But somewhere in the near future, if somehow I could run that back, oh yeah, I would love that.”

During Tavares’ fight with Weidman, [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] provided some commentary on his social media. He was actively rooting for Weidman, who suffered the same leg break as him. He also called Tavares a “little arse wipe,” and the Hawaiian would love the opportunity to fight McGregor – even if it’s wishful thinking.

“I’m serious, I would love to fight the juiced-up Conor McGregor,” Tavares said. “I know that’s far-fetched. I know that will never happen. But if you’re asking me my wishlist, that would be on it.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 292.

UFC 292 post-event facts: Ian Machado Garry enters record book with 6-0 octagon start

The best facts to come out of UFC 292, which saw Sean O’Malley, Zhang Weili, Ian Machado Garry and others record statistical achievements.

One of the biggest UFC events of the year thus far went down Saturday with UFC 292, which took place at TD Garden in Boston and featured two championship fights with different results.

In the main event, [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] (17-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) shocked [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag] (23-4 MMA, 15-4 UFC) with a second-round TKO to capture the bantamweight belt, while in the co-headliner, [autotag]Zhang Weili[/autotag] (24-3 MMA, 8-2 UFC) got her second strawweight title reign off a dominant start with a lopsided unanimous decision over Brazilian challenger [autotag]Amanda Lemos[/autotag] (13-3-1 MMA, 7-3 UFC).

For more on the numbers behind the two championship bouts, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC 292.

UFC 292 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: All-time program total passes $20 million

Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 292 took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $340.500.

BOSTON – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 292 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $340.500.

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 292 took place at TD Garden. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.

The full UFC 292 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

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[autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag]: $32,000
def. [autotag]Aljamain Sterling[/autotag]: $42,000

[autotag]Zhang Weili[/autotag]: $42,000
def. [autotag]Amanda Lemos[/autotag]: $32,000

[autotag]Ian Machado Garry[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Neil Magny[/autotag]: $21,00

[autotag]Mario Bautista[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Da’Mon Blackshear[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Marlon Vera[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Pedro Munhoz[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Brad Tavares[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Chris Weidman[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Gregory Rodrigues[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Denis Tiuliulin[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Kurt Holobaugh[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Austin Hubbard[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Brad Katona[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Cody Gibson[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Andre Petroski[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Gerald Meerschaert[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Natalia Silva[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Andrea Lee[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Karine Silva[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Maryna Moroz[/autotag]: $11,000

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 $4,500; 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 2023 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $5,735,500
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $20,324,500

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 292.

UFC 292 play-by-play and live results

Check out live play-by-play from UFC 292 in Boston with Aljamain Sterling vs. Sean O’Malley and Zhang Weili vs. Amanda Lemos title fights.

BOSTON – UFC 292 took place at TD Garden. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.

In the main event, bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling (23-4 MMA, 15-4 UFC) took on challenger Sean O’Malley (17-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC). Sterling holds the UFC record for most consecutive title defenses at 135 pounds. In the co-feature, women’s strawweight champ Zhang Weili (24-3 MMA, 8-2 UFC) met challenger Amanda Lemos (13-3-1 MMA, 7-3 UFC) in the first test of her second reign as titleholder.

In addition, former middleweight champ Chris Weidman (15-7 MMA, 11-7 UFC) returned from more than two years out after a severe broken leg in 2021. He took on Brad Tavares (20-9 MMA, 15-8 UFC) in a featured bout on the prelims. Plus, two new “Ultimate Fighter” winners will be crowned on the prelims.

UFC 292 results: Brad Tavares targets legs, spoils Chris Weidman’s return from injury by decision

Brad Tavares tested the surgically repaired leg of Chris Weidman while stuffing takedowns to sweep the scorecards at UFC 292.

[autotag]Chris Weidman[/autotag] returned to action for the first time since April 2021, but [autotag]Brad Tavares[/autotag] played the role of spoiler in the former UFC middleweight champion’s return from a nasty leg injury.

The middleweight bout closed out the UFC 292 preliminary card at TD Garden in Boston, and the crowd was anxious for a feel-good moment for Weidman (15-7 MMA, 11-7 UFC). However, Tavares (20-9 MMA, 15-8 UFC) was hungry for a win as well, an ultimately got what he wanted after 15 minutes, earning unanimous 30-27 scores from the official judges.

As the fighters studied the distance in the opening seconds, the Boston crowd began chanting, “Let’s go Weidman.” An early takedown attempt from the former champion was stuffed, and Tavares landed a clean combination a moment later. Weidman continued to hunt for the takedown, but it wasn’t there for him. After a hard low blow from Tavares paused the fight momentarily, the remainder of the round was spent on the feet, where Tavares landed cleaner punches and leg kicks.

Tavares’ striking early in the second caused Weidman to limp severely on his damaged legs. For a moment, it appeared the fight may have been close to a stoppage, but Weidman was able to gather himself and return fire.

Weidman caught Tavares with a hard punch that buckled him momentarily. It seemed a fire was lit under Weidman, as he began marching forward, but his momentum was halted when he landed a low blow.

When the action resumed, Weidman continued to press the action, looking for takedowns and head kicks that Tavares was able to defend.

Unfortunately, a low blow from Tavares landed again in the first minute of the third round as both fighters threw kicks at the same time. After a short pause, Tavares began attacking the legs of Weidman with hard kicks, causing him to limp for a moment. Tavares charged forward with punches, but Weidman was able to regain composure and start moving forward himself. The former champ kept a good poker face for the remainder of the fight, as Tavares targeted the leg and got the better of the final exchanges.

Tavares returns to the win column, snapping a two-fight skid. Prior to his setbacks against Dricus Du Plessis and Bruno Silva, Tavares picked up a pair of decision wins over Antonio Carlos Junior and Omari Akhmedov.

The result of the fight marks two consecutive losses for Weidman. He broke his leg in the first round against Uriah Hall at UFC 261, prompting a lengthy recovery and multiple surgeries. The former champ’s last win was a unanimous decision nod over Omari Akhmedov in August 2020.

Up-to-the-minute UFC 292 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 292.

Brad Tavares def. Chris Weidman at UFC 292: Best photos

Check out the best photos from Brad Tavares’ unanimous decision win over Chris Weidman at UFC 292 at TD Garden in Boston.

Check out the best photos from [autotag]Brad Tavares[/autotag]’ unanimous decision win over [autotag]Chris Weidman[/autotag] at UFC 292 at TD Garden in Boston. (Photos by Bob DeChiara, USA TODAY Sports; MMA Junkie; and UFC)

Photos: UFC 292 official weigh-ins

Check out the best photos from the UFC 292 official weigh-ins including Aljamain Sterling vs. Sean O’Malley and more.

Check out these photos of the UFC 292 official weigh-ins at the UFC host hotel in Boston. (Photos by Nolan King, MMA Junkie)