After being with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) for nearly 10 full years, Thiago Tavares is with a new promotion.
MMAFighting.com brought word that the UFC didn’t re-sign Tavares once his contract was up. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt has now signed with Aspera FC, a mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion based in Brazil.
Tavares already has a fight and date lined up under the promotion. He will battle Mauricio Machado in a featherweight bout on Feb. 18 at Aspera FC 49. The event will be held inside the Sergio Lorenzato Gymnasium in Balneario Camboriu, Santa Catarina.
Tavares’ last outing didn’t go in his favor. He was knocked out by rising 145-pounder Doo Ho Choi back in July 2016. It was Tavares’ seventh loss inside the Octagon. Tavares ends his UFC career, at least for now, with a record of 10-7-1 under the promotion.
Machado will also be looking to rebound from a loss when he meets Tavares. “Bad Boy” was submitted by Aliyar Sarkerov. Before the defeat, Machado had won three straight bouts.
First, he earned a TKO win over Cassiano Alves Cademe in just 25 seconds. One month later, he submitted Andre Dias via first-round armbar. Then in the following month, Machado submitted Pedro Galvao in six seconds.
