Preview: UFC 264 Prelims

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Middleweights

#15 MW | Brad Tavares (18-6, 13-6 UFC) vs. #13 MW | Omari Akhmedov (21-5-1, 9-4-1 UFC)

ODDS: Tavares (-160), Akhmedov (+140)

Veteran middleweight hopefuls clash in this undercard tilt. Akhmedov was a frustrating prospect during his welterweight days earlier in his UFC career. “Wolverine” had some obvious power to everything he did, but after a few impressive wins, it mostly led to his tiring himself out and suffering some concerning third-round losses. The move to middleweight helped Akhmedov’s gas tank, as did his newly found mindfulness toward pacing himself. However, traces of his old self remained. He still often winds up tired by the end of his three-round affairs, with his August loss to Chris Weidman devolving into a bit of a mess, but he has in general been a much more effective fighter after ironing out his tendency to implode.

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Meanwhile, Tavares, now over a decade deep into his UFC career, quickly developed a more neutralizing style upon hitting the Octagon. For years, Tavares has had an impressively even-keeled approach. It is usually apparent from the jump if Tavares is out of a fight, with Tim Boetsch being the only man to stage a particularly huge comeback once the Hawaiian gets his game rolling. A 2018 finish of Krzysztof Jotko provided some hope that Tavares had turned a corner with his power, but after losses to Israel Adesanya and Edmen Shahbazyan, he was back to his usual decision-winning ways against Antonio Carlos Jr. in January. That fight served as a reminder that attempting to outwrestle Tavares is usually a path to failure, and as a result, it is hard to see Akhmedov taking over this fight without that bullet in his chamber. With Akhmedov’s cardio issues, Tavares also figures to take over as the fight goes on, so this should be a vintage performance from the Hawaiian. The pick is Tavares via decision.

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