T. Tavares (photo) injured his thigh and was unable to fight in May. Photo: Josh Hedges/UFC
Thiago tavares He is present at the TUF Brasil 3 Finale, which will be held on May 31st in São Paulo (SP). However, that almost didn't happen. The Santa Catarina native was scheduled to make his debut in the featherweight category at UFC Berlin, which takes place on the same day as the attraction in the capital of São Paulo.
Tavares, who was scheduled to face Tom Niinimaki in Germany, suffered an injury that forced him to leave the card. Thus, the Brazilian was able to go to São Paulo to accompany two fighters from his gym: Marcio Lyoto, which faces Warlley alves in the TUF Brazil decision, and Fabio Maldonado, which faces Stipe Miocic in the main fight of the night.
In an exclusive interview to SUPER FIGHTS, Tavares detailed his injury. “I had a very simple strain in my thigh that locked my leg. It's a very simple break. The doctor said that with 20 days without training I would get better. But there were 16 days left until the fight”, lamented Tavares, who is already planning his return to the UFC. “It's likely that I'll be fighting at the end of June, beginning of July. It’s soft.”
Tavares was able to closely monitor Maldonado and Lyoto's preparation for the fight. “They are both trained. Maldonado has been working a lot on defense and has some attacks where he can surprise, a little neck, some arms. Lyoto is constantly evolving, training a lot. It’s a brown or black level blue belt,” he highlighted. “I can put my hand in the fire and they are well trained.”
Check out the full interview with Thiago tavares:
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