Chris Weidman returned to action for the first time since April 2021, but Brad Tavares played the role of spoiler in the former UFC middleweight champion’s return from a nasty leg injury.
The middleweight bout closed out the UFC 292 preliminary card at TD Garden in Boston, and the crowd was anxious for a feel-good moment for Weidman (15-7 MMA, 11-7 UFC). However, Tavares (20-9 MMA, 15-8 UFC) was hungry for a win as well, an ultimately got what he wanted after 15 minutes, earning unanimous 30-27 scores from the official judges.
As the fighters studied the distance in the opening seconds, the Boston crowd began chanting, “Let’s go Weidman.” An early takedown attempt from the former champion was stuffed, and Tavares landed a clean combination a moment later. Weidman continued to hunt for the takedown, but it wasn’t there for him. After a hard low blow from Tavares paused the fight momentarily, the remainder of the round was spent on the feet, where Tavares landed cleaner punches and leg kicks.
