LAS VEGAS – Brad Tavares beat Omari Akhmedov with a split decision Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC 264 in Las Vegas.
Take a look inside the fight with Tavares, who picked up his second straight win after back-to-back losses to then-unbeaten opponents in Israel Adesanya and Edmen Shahbazyan.
Tavares on the fight’s key moment
Jul 10, 2021; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Brad Tavares lands a hit against Omari Akhmedov during UFC 264 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
“This was a lot like my last opponent, but he had the better wrestling pedigree. He showed that. I was able to stuff the majority of his shots. That’s the one thing about wrestling – you can’t ever accept it. You’ve got to just keep going and fighting. That’s exactly what I did. I didn’t let him get comfortable and secure the position.
“If it was up to me, I wouldn’t even call those takedowns. He never secured the takedown, but Omari is a tough guy and it was a pleasure to fight him. He and I aren’t friends, but we will be friends after this for sure.”
These boys are SWINGING in the last seconds 👊
[ #UFC264 | Early Prelims on @ESPNPlus & @UFCFightPass ] pic.twitter.com/ClLqE1ehyJ
— UFC (@ufc) July 10, 2021
Tavares on going to the judges
Jul 10, 2021; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Brad Tavares lands a kick against Omari Akhmedov during UFC 264 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
“I thought I was going to finish him in the third, but Omari is a really tough dude. I couldn’t get him out of there. I was hitting him with everything. … I was shocked to hear split decision. I honestly thought I was about to get ripped. I’m glad that they got it right, though.”
Tavares on what he wants next
“I haven’t really thought about it yet – I was looking just fight to fight. I’ll sit down with my team after this, assess everything, and we’ll come up with something from there.”
To hear more from Tavares, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.