Las Vegas, NV — Brad Tavares still finds coming into Fight Week fun.
“That’s why I got into this. I like fighting, I love fighting,” he told media outlets including Cageside Press at this week’s UFC 276 media day.
That’s not to say he’s numb to the process, however. “It still feels like I’m going to fight.”
Tavares is going to fight, against a decorated champion outside the UFC in Dricus Du Plessis, who held gold in both EFC an KSW. The pair will face off on the UFC 276 preliminary card this Saturday.
“Tough guy, and I think he actually is different than a lot of the other guys out there. His style is a little different: he reminds me kind of an Elias Theodorou,” Tavares said when asked about his opponent. “Very unorthodox in the way they do things. So yeah, I think very tough, very game, and I think that’s what he brings to the table, is he is a little different than everybody else.”
But while Du Plessis has made it to the UFC, there’s making it to the big show, and staying there. That’s something that Brad Tavares has done, spending nearly 12 years with the promotion now.
“It’s one thing to get to the UFC, it’s a completely different animal to stay there. It’s hard work, and it’s something, a goal of all these fighters to get there, but then to stay here, to stay competitive, to stay winning fights — you see guys, you think they’re gonna be the next big thing, all these hype trains, and some of them, it works out for them and they go on and do great things, and others wash out really quickly,” explained Tavares. “So Dricus is, as far as the UFC goes, really young, and I think that I do have that above him. He does have a lot of fights, he’ll have that experience, but I have that UFC experience. I’ve been here for a long time. I definitely have that edge on him.”
Watch the full UFC 276 media day appearance by Brad Tavares above. More coverage can be found below. The event takes place this Saturday, July 2, 2022 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV.
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Brad Tavares
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Dricus Du Plessis
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Gabe Green
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Cowboy Cerrone
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Jared Cannonier
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Max Holloway
