Tavares vs Silva Prediction: UFC Vegas 71 Main Card Analysis
Published
1 month ago
on
By
Vladislav Tchakarov
Bruno Silva started his career in the UFC with 3 knockouts, but then suddenly went on a series of 2 defeats in a row. In Vegas, he will clash with Brad Tavares, who has been performing with varying success over the past few years. Here is our Tavares vs Silva prediction for UFC Vegas 71.
UFC Vegas 71 Featured Fight: Brad Tavares vs Bruno Silva Prediction
Brad Tavares Preview
Brad is a 35-year-old American fighter. He is a former contestant on the UFC reality fighting show The Ultimate Fighter. He had his first fight at a professional level in 2007, and in January 2011 he already made his debut in the UFC after his success in the 11th season of the tournament. Brad is one of the mediocre fighters in his division, serving the role of a “gatekeeper” to the top 15.
Four years ago, he began a small black streak in his career. In July 2018, Tavares lost by unanimous decision to Israel Adesanya, and in November 2019 he was knocked out by Edmen Shahbazyan. But Tavares ended that losing streak in 2021. In January, he won on points against Antonio Carlos Junior, and in July he defeated Omari Akhmedov by a split decision.
The 35-year-old American has 22 wins (six by knockout) and eight losses. Brad last fought in July 2022. His opponent was Dricus Du Plessis. Tavares lost by unanimous decision.
Tavares is a versatile fighter with a good wrestling base. He has high-quality takedown defense, good tenacious control on the ground, and excellent defense against submissions. In his entire career, he has never been submitted.
In the standing position, Brad actively puts pressure on the opponent, beating him with powerful punches. Thanks to the footwork, he not only cuts corners well when striking but also quickly leaves the line of attack.
Brad's problem is that he doesn't defend himself at all. Sometimes, he enters a trade without thinking about defense and he can miss massive shots that can KO him.
Bruno Silva Preview
Bruno is a 33-year-old American fighter. He is a former M-1 middleweight champion. He made his UFC debut in June 2021 against Wellington Thurman, whom Silva knocked out in the 1st round. Until the end of the year, Silva had 2 more fights, and in each, he won an early victory: he finished Andrew Sanchez in the 3rd round, and knocked out Jordan Wright in 1.5 minutes.
His streak ended in March 2022 when he lost a unanimous decision to Alex Pereira. The Brazilian had his last fight in August of the same year. His opponent was Gerald Meerschaert. Silva lost by submission in the 3rd round.
Bruno is a flamboyant boxer with a good Muay Thai base. He throws good combinations, has good accuracy, and causes serious damage to opponents. Silva won 19 of his 22 victories by knockout. I note his good defense against takedowns. He blocks about 70% of opponents' attempts to take him to the ground. These stats have a lot of weight for our Tavares vs Silva prediction.
However, we have to note that Silva has big problems on the ground. If he is transferred by an experienced wrestler, he cannot rise to his feet and spends the rest of the round on his back.
"I think I bring more to the fight, and I think I’m going to show that Saturday night.”
Bruno had a terrible fight with Meerschaert – that's a fact. But I think it's too early to write him off after a one-time disgusting performance. Against Tavares, he will have a good chance to get back on the winning track as Brad loves to fight close. Considering that Tavares generally prefers to fight in a standing position and flies into exchanges with an open jaw, Silva will successfully hit him, scoring points. Moreover, the Brazilian will have a lot of opportunities to knock out the opponent.
At the same time, we recommend betting on a longer match, at least over 1.5 rounds if the market exists in your platform. Silva will look for that KO but Tavares should know that he is the weaker striker. He has to try and take Silva down on the canvas at some point because he cannot beat him with his regular game plan. This will be Tavares' only chance in this match, we think. He has solid wrestling experience and he may score points with takedowns and ground control here. Overall, consider this our second Tavares vs Silva prediction – over 1.5/2.5 rounds, depending on the bookmaker and the odds.
