Outside Source
One of the longest tenured active Ultimate Fighting Championship fighters is currently no longer on the roster.
Automated roster tracker UFCRosterWatch first broke the news on Monday that Brad Tavares was no longer a member of the UFC. Other outlets have since confirmed that the Hawaiian who joined the promotion in 2010 had fought out of his current contract. The middleweight may be re-signed by the organization, or he could join another promotion, but for now he is a free agent.
The 185-pound stalwart first reached the major stage when he appeared on Season 11 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” reaching the semifinals in the season that first pitted Coach Chuck Liddell against Coach Tito Ortiz—only for Ortiz to withdraw on the final episode to be replaced by Rich Franklin. Beating James Hammortree and Seth Baczynski to get to the semis, eventual victor Court McGee tapped him out.
Even though he suffered a loss before getting to the finals, the promotion slotted him in to rematch Baczynski, as their first encounter ended courtesy of an illegal Baczynski knee. The workmanlike Tavares reached the top 10 and resided in its confines for years, achieving several milestones including tying Michael Bisping’s lead for the most victories at 185 pounds (16) while appearing more times (26) than anyone else in the weight class. He and Neil Magny share the top spot for the most decision wins in UFC history, with 14 apiece. Tavares departs the promotion—for the time being, as he could get picked up again—having earned a win on the scorecards over fellow grizzled veteran Gerald Meerschaert in April.
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
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