Ultimate Fighting Calendar
UFCUFC 257: Poirier vs McGregor 2
Middleweight3 rounds scheduled
WIN
Brad Tavares
United StatesBrad Tavares
21-13-0
RESULT

Brad Tavares def. Antonio Carlos Junior (Unanimous Decision)

Unanimous Decision · Round 3 · 5:00
Antonio Carlos Junior
BrazilAntonio Carlos Junior
“Cara de Sapato”
11-5-0 (1 NC)
Sunday, January 24, 2021
UFC Fight Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Brad Tavares defeated Antonio Carlos Junior by Unanimous Decision in round 3 (5:00) in the Middleweight bout of UFC 257: Poirier vs McGregor 2, held Sunday, January 24, 2021 at UFC Fight Island, Abu Dhabi. The judges scored it 30-27, 29-28, 30-27, Brad Tavares won the decision.

Fight stats

Brad Tavares
Antonio Carlos Junior
0
Knockdowns
0
54 of 108
Significant strikes
34 of 103
50%
Sig. strike accuracy
33%
73 of 135
Total strikes
57 of 135
0 of 0
Takedowns
1 of 12
-
Takedown accuracy
8%
0
Submission attempts
0
0
Reversals
0
0:05
Control time
6:28
Significant strikes by target
28 of 76
Head
24 of 93
6 of 8
Body
2 of 2
20 of 24
Leg
8 of 8
50 of 102
Distance
33 of 100
4 of 6
Clinch
1 of 3
0 of 0
Ground
0 of 0

By round

ROUND 1
0
KD
0
9 of 26
Sig. str.
9 of 30
12 of 31
Total str.
21 of 44
0 of 0
Takedowns
0 of 3
0
Sub. att
0
0:00
Ctrl
2:47
ROUND 2
0
KD
0
25 of 49
Sig. str.
11 of 34
25 of 49
Total str.
14 of 40
0 of 0
Takedowns
1 of 4
0
Sub. att
0
0:05
Ctrl
1:11
ROUND 3
0
KD
0
20 of 33
Sig. str.
14 of 39
36 of 55
Total str.
22 of 51
0 of 0
Takedowns
0 of 5
0
Sub. att
0
0:00
Ctrl
2:30

Judges' Scorecards

Ben Cartlidge
#TavaresJunior
1109
2109
3109
Total3027
David Lethaby
#TavaresJunior
1910
2109
3109
Total2928
Anders Ohlsson
#TavaresJunior
1109
2109
3109
Total3027

Media Scores

21
Tavares
-
0
Junior
●29-28 Tavares×15●30-27 Tavares×6
All 21 media scorecards▾

Fan Scorecards

94%
Tavares
2%
Draw
4%
Junior
48 fan scorecards submitted
●29-28 Tavares58.3%●30-27 Tavares31.2%●29-28 Junior4.2%●30-28 Tavares4.2%
Fans' round-by-round verdict
R1
63%
Junior
R2
100%
Tavares
R3
92%
Tavares

Scorecard data via mmadecisions.com

Frequently asked questions

Who won Brad Tavares vs Antonio Carlos Junior?

Brad Tavares defeated Antonio Carlos Junior by Unanimous Decision in round 3 (5:00) in the Middleweight bout of UFC 257: Poirier vs McGregor 2, held Sunday, January 24, 2021 at UFC Fight Island, Abu Dhabi. The judges scored it 30-27, 29-28, 30-27, Brad Tavares won the decision.

What were the judges' scorecards for Brad Tavares vs Antonio Carlos Junior?

The judges scored it 30-27, 29-28, 30-27, Brad Tavares won the decision.

Was Brad Tavares vs Antonio Carlos Junior a robbery?

Public scoring backed the judges: 94% of 48 fan cards scored it for Brad Tavares; 100% of 21 media scores picked Brad Tavares.

Full robbery index →
Referee
Marc Goddard
Time format
3 Rnd (5-5-5)
Pre-fight comparison▾

Win probability

Brad Tavares 41%59% Antonio Carlos Junior

What the model gave each fighter going into the fight, from their pre-fight UFCalendar Power Index ratings. See the full Power Index

Fight DNA

Head to head

UFCalendar's style model · Middleweight roster (229 fighters)

Brad Tavares
Knockout Artist
8 edges
Antonio Carlos Junior
Submission Ace
3 edges
PowerSpeedPrecisionDurabilityEngineWrestlingGround

Radar scaled to this matchup · bars show the gap

Style shape

80Power54
94Speed54
94Precision52
95Durability74
94Engine88
72Wrestling97
57Ground96

Biggest edge Brad Tavares, Punch speed +45

Attribute by attribute

Brad Tavares is on the left of every row, Antonio Carlos Junior on the right.
66Punch power47
94Kick power61
94Punch speed49
94Kick speed59
94Accuracy52
72Takedowns97
51Ground striking94
63Submissions98
93Chin79
96Body strength69
94Cardio88

Attributes are rated 0-100 by UFCalendar's style model.

Tale of the Tape

21-13-0
Record
11-5-0 (1 NC)
1727
Power Index rating
1788
0
Win Streak
3
38
Age
36
6'1"
185 cm
Height
6'2"
188 cm
74"
188 cm
Reach
79"
201 cm
Orthodox
Stance
Orthodox
Middleweight
Weight Class
Middleweight
United States
Nationality
Brazil

Striking Profile

3.41
SLpM
1.95
43%
Str. Acc.
42%
3.32
SApM
2.14
54%
Str. Def.
52%

Grappling Profile

0.70
TD Avg.
3.42
26%
TD Acc.
39%
80%
TD Def.
53%
0.00
Sub. Avg.
0.80

Recent form (last 5 fights)

Brad Tavares · 1-4
  • L
    Eryk Anders
    UFC Fight Night: Emmett vs Vallejos · Mar 14, 2026
    Unanimous Decision · R3 · 5:00 · Middleweight
  • L
    Robert Bryczek
    UFC Fight Night: Imavov vs Borralho · Sep 6, 2025
    TKO · R3 · 1:43 · Middleweight
  • W
    Gerald Meerschaert
    UFC Fight Night: Emmett vs Murphy · Apr 5, 2025
    Unanimous Decision · R3 · 5:00 · Middleweight
  • L
    JunYong Park
    UFC Fight Night: Royval vs Taira · Oct 12, 2024
    Split Decision · R3 · 5:00 · Middleweight
  • L
    Gregory Rodrigues
    UFC Fight Night: Hermansson vs Pyfer · Feb 10, 2024
    TKO · R3 · 0:55 · Middleweight
Antonio Carlos Junior · 4-1
  • W
    Sullivan Cauley
    PFL World Tournament 10: 2025 Finals · Aug 21, 2025
    Submission · R2 · 3:44 · Light Heavyweight
  • W
    Simeon Powell
    Professional Fighters League - 2025 PFL World Tournament 7: Semifinals · Jun 27, 2025
    Unanimous Decision · R3 · 5:00 · Light Heavyweight
  • W
    Karl Moore
    Professional Fighters League - 2025 PFL World Tournament 4: First Round · Apr 30, 2025
    Decision · R3 · 5:00 · Light Heavyweight
  • L
    Alex Polizzi
    Professional Fighters League - PFL 5: 2024 Regular Season · Jun 20, 2024
    Decision · R3 · 5:00 · Light Heavyweight
  • W
    Simon Biyong
    Professional Fighters League - PFL 2: 2024 Regular Season · Apr 11, 2024
    Submission · R1 · 4:34 · Light Heavyweight

Career Averages

Based on 28 fights · 21 fights
44.4
Avg sig. strikes
24.1
0.61
Avg takedowns
2.48
1:40
Avg control time
5:51
116
Career high strikes
40
5
Career high TDs
7

Strike Distribution

Brad Tavares
Strike target
Antonio Carlos Junior
59%
Head
68%
17%
Body
18%
23%
Leg
15%
Brad Tavares
Strike position
Antonio Carlos Junior
84%
Distance
49%
12%
Clinch
8%
4%
Ground
44%