UFC 257: Brad Tavares vs Antonio Carlos Junior- Prediction and Analysis

The preliminary card at UFC 257 is stacked with some great fights. Although all the attention leading up to the fight has been focused on the main event and the co-main event, the rest of the card at UFC 257 features some exciting fighters and some exciting bouts. 

Brad Tavares takes on Antonio Carlos Junior in a middleweight bout on the preliminary card. Tavares is ranked 14th in the middleweight division, whereas Antonio is unranked. A win for either fighter is sure to help them a long way in climbing the ranks at 185-pounds. Both men are coming off losses in their recent fights and will be hoping to bounce back into the win column. 

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Brad Tavares vs Antonio Carlos Junior at UFC 257 will be an extremely critical fight for both men

Brad Tavares has been in the UFC for over a decade. During his time with the promotion, he has fought the best of the best at middleweight. He is currently 1-2 in his last three fights. Most recently, Edmen Shahbazyan stopped him in the first round of their fight at UFC 244 in November 2019. 

Antonio Carlos Junior has been in the UFC since 2014. From September 2016 to April 2018, ‘Cara de Sapato’ went on a five-fight unbeaten run which ended in May 2019 against Ian Heinisch. He is currently 1-2 in his last three fights and most recently lost a split decision to Uriah Hall in September 2019. 

‘Cara de Sapato’ is a highly decorated world champion in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and has secured an impressive 80% of his wins via submission thus far.

In his UFC fights, Antonio has averaged 2.92 takedowns per 15 minutes, and an impressive 2.19 submission attempts in the same time frame. He will be looking to keep the fight on the ground as it will be his best option to secure a win. 

Tavares is a striker and will be looking to keep the fight on the feet. He has an impressive takedown defense rate of 77% which will be tested by Carlos. Tavares has landed an impressive 3 significant strikes per minute in his UFC career thus far. He has absorbed just 2.76 in return. 

Given his experience and prowess on the ground, ‘Cara de Sapato’ should be able to bounce back from his two-fight skid to secure a win at UFC 257. 

Prediction: Antonio Carlos Junior via Submission.