After being awarded his letterman jacket for 50 clean tests under the UFC’s anti-doping program earlier this week, Hawaiian middleweight Brad Tavares had a date with former LFA champ Eryk Anders at UFC Vegas 114.
Both 38 years young, Anders entered the bout a slight favorite.
Anders put Tavares on the fence early, tying his opponent up with an underhook and firing a few knees. A lot of time was spent there, action slowing to a crawl before the action exploded, with Tavares landing a right before turning off the fence. Yet moments later, he was right back there, Anders again putting his weight on him. Later in the round, Anders would drop Tavares, though the Hawaiian would survive a late burst of activity.
Not a ton of action in the opening round beyond that, with most of the fight playing out on the fence. Round two opened scrappy, with Anders moving in, and Tavares firing a jump knee as well as his hands. He utilized a front kick as well, and if nothing else was looking to make Anders pay on the way inside. Anders, however, did just that, getting inside and grabbing a leg.
This time, Tavares was able to free himself. Anders, undeterred, took him back to the cage. Again, Tavares freed off. This time he fired a kick that was blocked, and Anders moved in, looking ot land and backing Tavares up. It was Tavares, however, who dropped Anders! Tavares went to the ground, going after an arm, but Anders slipped out the back. He got on top, inside Tavares guard while clearly still battling to clear the cobwebs. Anders had to be wary of Tavares’ triangles; Tavares nearly escaped, but gave up his back. Tavares still made it to the fence and got back up, though he ate a few punches for his troubles.
With a minute still on the clock in round two, Anders too Tavares back to the fence, working on a single leg he wound up bailing on. With neither men able to find a finish through the opening ten minutes, it was off to the final round.
Anders’ corner told him it was 1-1 ahead of the final five minutes. They’d go to the ground inside the opening two minutes, but didn’t stay there. Back up, it was Anders in control on the fence. He had the underhook, and looked to grab a leg. When it wasn’t there, they traded over the top and broke. A step-in elbow by Tavares had him looking fresh. He landed again, a punch this time, and Anders fired back— then landed a key takedown. Anders earned himself lots of control time, but Tavares did get to the fence, only to be dragged down again.
A minute remained on the clock, the shadow of which loomed over the octagon. It would not be a good look for Tavares to finish the fight with Anders controlling him. Knowing this, he finally broke free, and it felt like the fight might open up again— only for Anders to land one last takedown, likely securing the victory.
After a grueling fight, they went to the scorecards, with Anders winning, then announcing his retirement. “I’ve had a hell of a career, got a win out here in front of my son,” exclaimed Anders in his post-fight interview, who thanked his coach as well.
“Ya Boi” finishes his UFC run 10-9 with one No Contest in 20 fights inside the octagon. He holds wins over Gerald Meerschaert, Kyle Daukaus, Chris Weidman, and now another veteran in Tavares, among others.
Official Result: Eryk Anders def. Brad Tavares by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
