Krzysztof Jotko left his chin up, and Brad Tavares was happy enough to put him down.
Tavares, a 2005 Waiakea graduate, added a touch of pizzazz to his fourth consecutive mixed martial arts victory Saturday, finishing Jotko in third round of their middleweight bout at UFC on FOX 29 in Glendale, Ariz.
It was the 30-year-old’s first stoppage victory since 2011.
“I feel like I’m one of the best strikers in the 185 division,” Tavares said. “I’m fast, explosive and I hit hard.”
Tavares (17-4 MMA, 12-4 UFC) used his right hand to control much of the fight, and he dropped Jotko (19-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC) with a huge right flush to his chin, pouncing on his opponent with a barrage of hammer fists to earn a TKO at 2:16 of the final round.
“I always envision my hand raised at the end,” Tavares said. “I really felt I was going to get the finish. I felt I was the superior fighter.
“I was ready for wherever the fight went. At the end of the day, the right hand did the trick.”
The 13th-ranked Jotko lost his third bout in a row, and it was clear after the fight that the 15th-ranked Tavares is tired of appearing on preliminary cards.
During the postfight interview on Fox, Tavares called out former middleweight champion Michael Bisping – who was providing analysis on the telecast – inviting him to a tussle at UFC 226 on July 7 in Las Vegas.
“I just ran into him in the green room,” Tavares said later in his news conference.
For the most part, Tavares said he kept it respectful.
“I told him, ‘You need an opponent for your final fight, let me give you your walking papers,”’ Tavares said.
“That’s the fight I want. That’s the fight I’ve always wanted.”
