Tribune-Herald
Hilo’s Brad Tavares (17-7) fights Antonio Carlos Junior (11-4) at UFC 257 in a preliminary card Saturday in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
The middleweight division (185 pounds) fight will be televised at 3 p.m. HST on ESPN/ESPN+, followed by the main cad on Pay-Per-View at 6 p.m. HST, which features Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier in the main event.
Carlos holds a five-inch reach edge but has lost his last two fights, which snapped a five-bout win streak.
In 15 pro fights, Carlos has won nine times by submission, which makes him a good ground opponent.
Tavares’ last bought was at UFC 244 on Nov. 2, 2019, when he suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament injury and missed the entire 2020 season.
The test for Tavares will be his cardio and if he can defend the ground game of Carlos.