Hilo’s Tavares scores unanimous decision win in UFC
Hilo’s Brad Tavares earned a razor-thin unanimous decision victory over Canada’s Elias Theodorou in a middleweight fight on the main card of The Ultimate Fighter Finale 25 tonight at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Tavares (15-5, 10-4 UFC) came back from two early takedowns in the third round to work two submission attempts and control the final moments of the fight to earn the 29-28 nod on all three judges’ scorecards.
The 29-year-old Waiakea graduate has now won back-to-back fights for the first time since 2014 and is 3-1 in his last four fights.
Theodorou (14-2, 5-2) outworked Tavares for much of the second round after Tavares landed cleaner shots and more significant strikes to take the opening round.
Theodorou’s only other professional loss was by unanimous decision to Thiago Santos in December 2015