Brad Tavares wins in UFC undercard

Hawaii middleweight Brad Tavares (19-7, 14-6 UFC) defeated Omari Akhmedov (21-6-1, 9-5-1 UFC) by split decision during Saturday’s undercard in UFC 264 in Las Vegas.

Tavares used jabs and low leg kicks in beating Akhmedov to the punch. Two of the judges scored it 29-28 for Tavares, while a third had it 29-28 for Akhmedov.

According to UFC Stats, Tavares outlanded Akhmedov in total strikes 76 to 50. Tavares moved into a tie for second in all-time UFC middleweight wins with all-time great Anderson Silva. Akhmedov has lost two of his past three fights.