Brad Tavares was watching a UFC promotional video game some months ago when something jumped out at him: Elias Theodorou outranked him.
Tavares set out to right the perceived wrong, and he proved his rank in real life Friday night, earning a victory via a narrow unanimous decision in a middleweight bout at The Ultimate Fighter Finale in Las Vegas.
“I’m stoked,” Tavares said. “That guy is tough. That guy is tough.”
The 2005 Waiakea graduate didn’t have much to say minutes after the bout, letting his fighting do the talking.
All three judges saw the fight for 29-28 for Tavares, who is now 15-5 after winning for the third time in four mixed martial arts contests.