Ultimate Fighting Calendar
UFCThe Ultimate Fighter Finale: Tavares vs Adesanya
Middleweight5 rounds scheduled
Brad Tavares
United StatesBrad Tavares
21-13-0
RESULT

Israel Adesanya def. Brad Tavares (Unanimous Decision)

Unanimous Decision · Round 5 · 5:00
WIN
Israel Adesanya
Israel Adesanya
“The Last Stylebender”
24-6-0
Friday, July 6, 2018
Pearl Theatre, Las Vegas, United States

Israel Adesanya defeated Brad Tavares by Unanimous Decision in round 5 (5:00) in the Middleweight main event of The Ultimate Fighter Finale: Tavares vs Adesanya, held Friday, July 6, 2018 at Pearl Theatre, Las Vegas.

Fight stats

Brad Tavares
Israel Adesanya
0
Knockdowns
0
40 of 174
Significant strikes
119 of 215
23%
Sig. strike accuracy
55%
46 of 181
Total strikes
127 of 223
1 of 12
Takedowns
0 of 2
8%
Takedown accuracy
0%
0
Submission attempts
1
0
Reversals
0
2:05
Control time
1:46
Significant strikes by target
34 of 163
Head
61 of 144
3 of 8
Body
21 of 29
3 of 3
Leg
37 of 42
37 of 164
Distance
99 of 192
1 of 8
Clinch
12 of 14
2 of 2
Ground
8 of 9

By round

ROUND 1
0
KD
0
9 of 36
Sig. str.
14 of 35
11 of 38
Total str.
14 of 35
0 of 1
Takedowns
0 of 0
0
Sub. att
0
0:25
Ctrl
0:00
ROUND 2
0
KD
0
8 of 30
Sig. str.
25 of 49
8 of 30
Total str.
25 of 49
0 of 2
Takedowns
0 of 1
0
Sub. att
0
0:13
Ctrl
0:12
ROUND 3
0
KD
0
9 of 54
Sig. str.
27 of 50
10 of 55
Total str.
28 of 51
0 of 1
Takedowns
0 of 1
0
Sub. att
0
0:15
Ctrl
0:02
ROUND 4
0
KD
0
8 of 28
Sig. str.
28 of 37
11 of 32
Total str.
32 of 41
1 of 2
Takedowns
0 of 0
0
Sub. att
0
1:12
Ctrl
0:12
ROUND 5
0
KD
0
6 of 26
Sig. str.
25 of 44
6 of 26
Total str.
28 of 47
0 of 6
Takedowns
0 of 0
0
Sub. att
1
0:00
Ctrl
1:20

Judges' Scorecards

Derek Cleary
#TavaresAdesanya
1910
2910
3910
4910
5910
Total4550
Sal D'Amato
#TavaresAdesanya
1910
2910
3910
4910
5910
Total4550
Chris Lee
#TavaresAdesanya
1109
2910
3910
4910
5910
Total4649

Media Scores

0
Tavares
–
17
Adesanya
●50–45 Adesanya×8●49–46 Adesanya×6●50–43 Adesanya×2●49–45 Adesanya
All 17 media scorecards▾

Fan Scorecards

5%
Tavares
95%
Adesanya
79 fan scorecards submitted
●50–45 Adesanya53.2%●49–46 Adesanya15.2%●50–44 Adesanya10.1%●50–43 Adesanya7.6%
Fans' round-by-round verdict
R1
72%
Adesanya
R2
95%
Adesanya
R3
89%
Adesanya
R4
86%
Adesanya
R5
81%
Adesanya

Scorecard data via mmadecisions.com

Frequently asked questions

Who won Brad Tavares vs Israel Adesanya?

Israel Adesanya defeated Brad Tavares by Unanimous Decision in round 5 (5:00) in the Middleweight main event of The Ultimate Fighter Finale: Tavares vs Adesanya, held Friday, July 6, 2018 at Pearl Theatre, Las Vegas.

What were the judges' scorecards for Brad Tavares vs Israel Adesanya?

The judges scored it 50–45, 50–45, 49–46 — Israel Adesanya won the decision.

Referee
Herb Dean
Time format
5 Rnd (5-5-5-5-5)
Pre-fight comparison▾

Win probability

Brad Tavares 58%42% Israel Adesanya

What the model gave each fighter going into the fight, from their pre-fight UFCal Elo ratings. See all Elo ratings

Tale of the Tape

21-13-0
Record
24-6-0
1613
Elo rating
1557
0
Win Streak
0
38
Age
36
6'1"
185 cm
Height
6'4"
193 cm
74"
188 cm
Reach
80"
203 cm
Orthodox
Stance
Switch
Middleweight
Weight Class
Middleweight
United States
Nationality
Nigeria / New Zealand

Striking Profile

3.41
SLpM
4.03
43%
Str. Acc.
48%
3.32
SApM
3.22
54%
Str. Def.
55%

Grappling Profile

0.70
TD Avg.
0.05
26%
TD Acc.
9%
80%
TD Def.
76%
0.00
Sub. Avg.
0.10

Recent form (last 5 fights)

Brad Tavares · 1-4
  • L
    Eryk Anders
    UFC Fight Night: Emmett vs VallejosSat, Mar 14, 2026
    Unanimous Decision · R3 · 5:00 · Middleweight
  • L
    Robert Bryczek
    UFC Fight Night: Imavov vs BorralhoSat, Sep 6, 2025
    TKO · R3 · 1:43 · Middleweight
  • W
    Gerald Meerschaert
    UFC Fight Night: Emmett vs MurphySat, Apr 5, 2025
    Unanimous Decision · R3 · 5:00 · Middleweight
  • L
    JunYong Park
    UFC Fight Night: Royval vs TairaSat, Oct 12, 2024
    Split Decision · R3 · 5:00 · Middleweight
  • L
    Gregory Rodrigues
    UFC Fight Night: Hermansson vs PyferSat, Feb 10, 2024
    TKO · R3 · 0:55 · Middleweight
Israel Adesanya · 1-4
  • L
    Joe Pyfer
    UFC Fight Night: Adesanya vs PyferSat, Mar 28, 2026
    TKO · R2 · 4:18 · Middleweight
  • L
    Nassourdine Imavov
    UFC Saudi Arabia: Adesanya vs ImavovSat, Feb 1, 2025
    TKO · R2 · 0:30 · Middleweight
  • L
    Dricus Du Plessis
    UFC 305: Du Plessis vs AdesanyaSat, Aug 17, 2024
    Submission · R4 · 3:38 · Middleweight
  • L
    Sean Strickland
    UFC 293: Adesanya vs StricklandSat, Sep 9, 2023
    Unanimous Decision · R5 · 5:00 · Middleweight
  • W
    Alex Pereira
    UFC 287: Pereira vs Adesanya 2Sat, Apr 8, 2023
    TKO · R2 · 4:21 · Middleweight

Career Averages

Based on 28 fights · 19 fights
44.4
Avg sig. strikes
69.1
0.61
Avg takedowns
0.05
1:40
Avg control time
0:32
116
Career high strikes
119
5
Career high TDs
1

Strike Distribution

Brad Tavares
Strike target
Israel Adesanya
59%
Head
49%
17%
Body
21%
23%
Leg
30%
Brad Tavares
Strike position
Israel Adesanya
84%
Distance
92%
12%
Clinch
5%
4%
Ground
3%