UFC’s Brad Tavares believes he would beat Israel Adesanya in rematch: ‘I know I can beat that guy’

Bloodyelbow.com

UFC vet Brad Tavares is currently sidelined due to injury, but the 31-year-old is confident he will return to the Octagon stronger than ever.

Tavares last fought in the Octagon at The Ultimate Fighter 27 Finale, where he dropped a unanimous decision to newly-crowned interim middleweight champion Israel Adesanya in the main event.

Prior to that, the Extreme Couture product was on a four-fight win streak and firmly on the road to title contention, and the No. 11 ranked middleweight contender can’t wait to get back in the Octagon to continue on his quest for UFC gold.

Speaking to MMA Junkie in a recent interview, Tavares, who fought Adesanya with a broken foot, said he is confident he can beat ‘The Last Stylebender’ in a rematch.

“Put it this way: I went into that fight and I tried to box, just straight-up box, a badass professional kickboxer – a guy who’s been doing it years and has multiple fights,” Tavares said. “What does he have, like 80-something kickboxing fights? And he’s probably lost only like two, three? I don’t know. I know he has some crazy record, though. That’s the thing, I look at that fight and I’m like, ‘Hey, there’s things that – I know what went wrong there.’ And I’m not going to sit here and use my foot being broken as an excuse, you know. I tried to actually kick in that fight. I kicked him in his leg one time and my foot instantly blew up, swole up.

“I knew that, when I put it back down, I was like, ‘If I kick again there’s a chance that I can’t even stand on it.’ So kicking with the right leg is out of the question. And, for me, leg kicks and my kicks are one of the biggest parts of my game. But I was like, ‘You know what, let’s get through this, though. Let’s go box this guy.’ And didn’t end up working out in my favor. But, like you said, it makes me excited. Because I know I can beat that guy. I know what it takes and what I need to do to beat that guy, and he’s a champion now.”

Tavares didn’t give a timeline for his next opponent but the Hawaiian is determined capture the UFC middleweight title upon his return.

“That’s the main goal: it’s that strap around your waist,” Tavares said. “That title, so, whatever fight gets me there.”

As for Adesanya, the former kickboxing champ will go on to fight Robert Whittaker in a title unification bout later this year.