As UFC 203 calls from the concrete jungle of Cleveland’s Quicken Loans Arena (home to LeBron James and the Cavaliers), Brad Tavares has one mantra on his mind, and it’s a good one.
“I want to punch this guy in the head and bang typical Hawaiian style,” said Tavares, a 2005 Waiakea graduate.
Tavares (13-4) battles Brazil’s Caio “Hellboy” Magalhaes (9-2) in a middleweight (185 pounds) prelim bout that will be shown on FoxSports1.
A better nickname for Magalhaes would be “Caveman” because there’s nothing subtle about the fierce-looking guy.
In his last fight, Hellboy lost to Josh Samman by first-round submission in UFC’s The Ultimate Fighter Finale on July 12, 2015 in Las Vegas.
However, in his last win, Magalhaes, 28, went pure Caveman to score a first-round knockout against Trevor Smith at UFC Fight Night on Nov. 8, 2014 in Brazil.
Hellboy marched straight at Smith, missed a massive right uppercut, landed a left hook, and turned off his foe’s lights with a barrage of hammer fists.
Hilo’s homegrown local boy doesn’t have a catchy nickname, and “Hawaiian Punch” won’t work because it belongs to Jesus Salud.
Nickname or not, Tavares, 28, has a fighting style that defines him. He looks to throw down, not play hit-and-run or bear hug somebody on the floor.
“My style is fun to watch,” said Tavares, who trains out of Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas. “I want to go in there and dominate this guy and come home victorious. I like this fight. We’ll see what happens.
“People tend to change their strategy here and there. If he decides to stand and fight, that’s good for me and for everyone who watches.”
According to ufc.com’s analysis, Tavares’ strengths are striking and toughness. Even better, his takedown defense is 74 percent.
That means there’s a good chance Tavares is on his feet for most of the bout and has more time to punch somebody’s coconut.
He played football at Waiakea and was a good tackler as a linebacker. Tavares trains at former UFC champion Randy Couture’s gym. It’s heaven for fighters who enjoy clocking their foes.
Even though Couture was known for his wrestling skills, the “Natural” finished his career with more knockouts than submissions.
Tavares’ career arc is playing out the same way. He’s got four KO/technical knockouts and two submission wins.
It ain’t easy
UFC fighters are vastly underpaid because unlike the NFL, NBA, NHL or Major League Baseball there’s no union.
Most are on four-fight deals with no security. Contracts are re-upped after the third bout if a fighter is in the good graces of the UFC, which was recently sold for $4 billion.
Tavares has lost three of his last four fights. He knows it is what it is. He fights and leaves all those headaches to his manager.
“They can let you go at any time if you do something wrong,” he said. “You definitely can make a living. Looking at the schedule, there are 20 weeks left in the year, and the UFC has 19 events.”
At UFC 182 on Jan. 3, 2015, Tavares got a decision over Nate Marquardt and earned $50,000 — 25 grand as base pay and another 25 large for a win bonus. (The Nevada Athletic Commission releases payroll for fights held in Las Vegas.)
Of course, taxes, living expenses, and work fees (gym, manager, etc.), hit Tavares in the wallet. He’s not married and doesn’t have children. But his time is monopolized by training and recovery.
“I’ll train for two hours or 2 ½ hours, two times a day, and rest my body the rest of the day, which is just as important,” he said. “I sleep early. I take Sundays off. But I’m constantly training.”
Consistent in good character, Tavares is a role model for aspiring local MMA fighters, but he recommends hitting the books and sticking to team sports.
“I want kids to study hard in school and focus on academics,” he said. “Playing pro basketball, football or baseball, those guys make millions. If you go the NFL and just make the practice squad those guys get six figures.
“They should go with their passion. I love mixed martial arts. Fighting is my passion. It’s my career. I’m 100 percent focused on that.”
Ultimate goal
Michael Bisping is the reigning UFC middleweight champion. He scored a five-round, unanimous decision over the once-invincible but aging Anderson Silva in February and won the belt with a first-round KO against Luke Rockhold on June 4.
Tavares is ranked No. 23 by tapology.com while Magalhaes is 36th. One will rise and the loser will fall in the rankings. That’s the way lions eat dinner and seize belts.
It’s been a long journey for Tavares, who recorded a TKO against Thomas Sedano in his first pro MMA bout on June 29, 2007 on Oahu.
Tavares posted a 5-0 record, including three TKOs and two submissions, to gain entry to UFC’s The Ultimate Fighter 11.
He won that by decision over Seth Baczynski and went 8-4 in his first 12 UFC bouts, following his early map strategy.
“When I was living on Oahu, I made a plan when I was 19 or 20 years old to conquer the Hawaii circuit,” Tavares said. “But the big picture was to move to Vegas. That was the mecca. All the big names were training in Vegas.
“I was working for Hawaiian Airlines, and I had an opportunity to transfer to Vegas in 2009. I started training full-time in 2010.”
His last fight was a first-round TKO loss to Robert Whittaker at UFC Fight Night 65 on May 10, 2015. Tavares got caught with a straight left to the chin when he dropped his guard for a nanosecond.
Time went on. The UFC held a million cards over those 15 months and raked in big dough. Tavares spent his time on the sideline training and cementing a focused mantra in his mind.
There’s a fierce-looking coconut tree that needs to be punched in the head and knocked out — Hawaiian style.