Marc-André Barriault has announced that Brad Tavares is out of their scheduled middleweight fight at UFC OKC on July 18th. Barriault is now in search of a replacement opponent ahead of the event.
Marc-André Barriault is without an opponent less than three weeks out from UFC OKC, after Brad Tavares was forced to withdraw from their scheduled middleweight clash on July 18th. Barriault announced the news himself and confirmed he is now searching for a replacement to keep his spot on the card.
Tavares, 38, is an American middleweight fighting out of Xtreme Couture who carries a professional record of 21-13. The veteran stands six-foot-one with a 74-inch reach and works out of an orthodox stance. Over the course of his career he has averaged 3.41 significant strikes landed per minute at a 43 percent striking accuracy rate, with modest takedown activity at 0.7 per 15 minutes and no submission attempts on his statistical ledger.
No details about the nature of Tavares's withdrawal were provided in Barriault's announcement.
Why it matters
- Barriault must find a willing replacement opponent on short notice, which could significantly affect his preparation and game plan heading into July 18th.
- Tavares had brought substantial experience to the matchup, and any late substitute is likely to present a very different stylistic challenge.
- The middleweight division continues to see card disruptions, adding uncertainty to an already volatile weight class on the UFC calendar.
