| Thiago Tavares | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 8, 1984 Florianópolis, Brazil |
| Nationality | Brazilian |
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) |
| Weight | 155 lb (70 kg; 11.1 st) |
| Division | Lightweight |
| Fighting out of | Florianópolis, Brazil |
| Team | Brazilian Top Team |
| Rank | black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 21 |
| Wins | 16 |
| By knockout | 2 |
| By submission | 11 |
| By decision | 3 |
| Losses | 4 |
| By knockout | 2 |
| By decision | 2 |
| Draws | 1 |
| Other information | |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
Thiago de Mello Tavares (born November 8, 1984) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist. He currently fights in the lightweight division in the UFC.
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Thiago Tavares entered the UFC with an undefeated record and was highly regarded. Tavares outgrappled fellow UFC-debutant Naoyuki Kotani to a unanimous decision, followed by a dominant submission victory over Jason Black. Tavares fought perennial contender Tyson Griffin to a unanimous decision loss, the first of his career, at UFC 76. They would win Fight of the Night honors for their performance.
Thiago rebounded with a unanimous decision victory over Michihiro Omigawa (who would later be ranked in the top ten of 145 pound fighters) at UFC Fight Night: Swick vs Burkman. Tavares was knocked out in his next bout by Matt Wiman and lost a unanimous decision to Kurt Pellegrino nearly three months later. This marked the first time Tavares lost two straight contests after beginning his career with twelve straight wins.
Tavares defeated TUF finalist Manvel Gamburyan via unanimous decision at UFC 94 in a close fight.
Tavares and Nik Lentz fought to a majority draw at UFC Fight Night: Maynard vs. Diaz. Tavares was deducted a point in the third round for a second full blown Muay Thai Kick to the groin of Lentz. After the fight Lentz was interviewed and had shared with a reporter his belief that Tavares had intentionally kicked him in the groin and happened to crack Lentz's metal cup.
Tavares was scheduled to face Melvin Guillard on May 29, 2010 at UFC 114,[1] but Tavares was forced off the card with an elbow injury.[2] He was replaced by Waylon Lowe.
Tavares was set to face Willamy Freire at UFC Live: Jones vs. Matyushenko taking place August 1, 2010.[3] However, on July 20, 2010, Freire withdrew because of an injury,[4] forcing the bout to be cancelled.[5]
Tavares faced UFC newcomer Pat Audinwood on September 25, 2010 at UFC 119, replacing an injured Aaron Riley.[6] Tavares defeated Audinwood via submission (guillotine choke) in the first round.
Tavares then faced Shane Roller on March 3, 2011 at UFC Live: Sanchez vs. Kampmann.[7] He lost the fight via KO (punches) in the second round. Though Tavares hurt Roller in the first round, he was unable to finish him. During the second round, Tavares was caught by a straight right from Roller that knocked him out.
Tavares defeated Spencer Fisher via second round TKO on August 27, 2011 at UFC 134.[8]
Tavares is expected to face Sam Stout on January 14, 2012 at UFC 142.[9]
| Professional record breakdown | ||
| 21 matches | 16 wins | 4 losses |
| By knockout | 2 | 2 |
| By submission | 11 | 0 |
| By decision | 3 | 2 |
| Draws | 1 | |
| Result | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 16–4–1 | Spencer Fisher | TKO (punches) | UFC 134 | 27 August 2011 | 2 | 2:51 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | |
| Loss | 15–4–1 | Shane Roller | KO (punches) | UFC Live: Sanchez vs. Kampmann | 3 March 2011 | 2 | 1:28 | Louisville, Kentucky, United States | |
| Win | 15–3–1 | Pat Audinwood | Submission (guillotine choke) | UFC 119 | 25 September 2010 | 1 | 3:47 | Indianapolis, Indiana, United States | |
| Draw | 14–3–1 | Nik Lentz | Draw (majority) | UFC Fight Night: Maynard vs. Diaz | 11 January 2010 | 3 | 5:00 | Fairfax, Virginia, United States | |
| Win | 14–3 | Manvel Gamburyan | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 94 | 31 January 2009 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Loss | 13–3 | Kurt Pellegrino | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 88 | 6 September 2008 | 3 | 5:00 | Atlanta, Georgia, United States | Fight of the Night |
| Loss | 13–2 | Matt Wiman | KO (punches) | UFC 85 | 7 June 2008 | 2 | 1:57 | London, England | Fight of the Night |
| Win | 13–1 | Michihiro Omigawa | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Swick vs Burkman | 23 January 2008 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Loss | 12–1 | Tyson Griffin | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 76 | 22 September 2007 | 3 | 5:00 | Anaheim, California, United States | Fight of the Night |
| Win | 12–0 | Jason Black | Submission (triangle choke) | UFC Fight Night: Stout vs Fisher | 12 June 2007 | 2 | 2:49 | Hollywood, Florida, United States | |
| Win | 11–0 | Naoyuki Kotani | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Stevenson vs Guillard | 5 April 2007 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 10–0 | Marc Duncan | Submission (rear naked choke) | It's Showtime 2006 Alkmaar | 3 December 2006 | 1 | 3:39 | Alkmaar, Holland | Won It's Showtime title (−70 kg) |
| Win | 9–0 | Ulas Aslan | TKO (punches) | 2H2H: Pride & Honor | 12 November 2006 | 1 | N/A | Rotterdam, Holland | |
| Win | 8–0 | Adriano Goncalves | Submission (triangle choke) | Sul Fight Championship 1 | 16 September 2006 | 2 | 4:12 | Santa Catarina (state), Brazil | |
| Win | 7–0 | Romano de los Reyes | Submission | Rumble Of Amsterdam 3 | 21 May 2006 | 2 | 1:24 | Amsterdam, Holland | |
| Win | 6–0 | Mathieu Lawalata | Submission (heel hook) | Rumble Of Amsterdam 3 | 21 May 2006 | 1 | 0:59 | Amsterdam, Holland | |
| Win | 5–0 | Daniel Weichel | Submission (guillotine choke) | CWFC: Enter the Wolfslair | 5 March 2006 | 3 | 4:47 | Liverpool, England | |
| Win | 4–0 | Marcio Cesar | Submission (rear naked choke) | Storm Samurai 9 | 20 November 2005 | 2 | N/A | Curitiba, Brazil | |
| Win | 3–0 | Fabiano Adams | Submission (choke) | X-treme Combat | 5 June 2005 | 1 | 0:55 | Brazil | |
| Win | 2–0 | Johny Johny | Submission (triangle choke) | CO: Muay Thai & Vale Tudo | 2 May 2004 | 1 | 4:38 | Curitiba, Brazil | |
| Win | 1–0 | James Jones | Submission (triangle choke) | Reality Fighting 5 | 1 November 2003 | 2 | 1:18 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States |