Israel Adesanya won’t underestimate his opponent, but he won’t overestimate him either.
Adesanya is scheduled to take on Brad Tavares in the main event of “The Ultimate Fighter” 27 Finale. The card will take place inside the Pearl Theatre in Las Vegas, Nevada. This will be Adesanya’s first headlining spot under the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) banner.
It’s still up in the air as to whether or not Tavares will be able to compete. UFC president Dana White claimed that Tavares broke his foot and was off the card. Tavares and his team insist that he’s ready to go. White mentioned that Thiago Santos offered to replace Tavares.
Officially, Tavares is still penciled in for the main event. Speaking to MMAFighting.com, Adesanya did seem to think much of Tavares as a fighter:
“I’m not looking past what’s-his-name. Sorry, I had a brain fart — I’m not looking past Brad. They say to never underestimate anyone, but they don’t tell you to overestimate people either, so I’m just going to do me. Each guy is just another person that’s in the way. I have to plot my path to greatness. I don’t just think about the belt, I think past the belt. I’m far beyond all of that.”
Adesanya has a perfect professional mixed martial arts record of 13-0. In his last bout, Adesanya earned a split nod over Marvin Vettori. It was the only time Adesanya had gone the distance since making the transition to MMA.
As for Tavares, he’s currently riding a four-fight winning streak. He hasn’t lost since May 2015 when he was knocked out by current UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker. Tavares last competed back in April against Krzysztof Jotko. Tavares earned a TKO victory in the third round.
If Israel Adesanya takes on Brad Tavares, how do you think the fight ends?
