Thiago Tavares will drop to the featherweight division for his next bout in the UFC.
Tavares, who revealed his plans to cut 10 pounds for his next fight after a first-round victory over Justin Salas last month, has verbally agreed to meet UFC newcomer Zubair Tuhogov at UFC Fight Night 36 in Jaragua do Sul, Brazil, on Feb. 15. Combate first reported the news.
The Brazilian will make his featherweight debut after racking up a 8-5-1 record under the UFC banner. Tavares (18-5-1) hasn’t fought outside of Brazil since March 2011, and is 3-1 in front of his countrymen.
Tuhogov, a 22-year old, makes his UFC debut riding a six-fight win streak, the longest of his 3-year MMA career. The Russian fighter has a 15-3 record with six stoppage victories.
UFC Fight Night 36 takes place in Arena Jaragua in Jaragua do Sul, and is headlined by the middleweights Lyoto Machida and Gegard Mousasi. The UFN 36 card now includes:
Lyoto Machida vs. Gegard Mousasi
Ronaldo Souza vs. Francis Carmont
Francisco Trinaldo vs. Jesse Ronson
Thiago Tavares vs. Zubair Tuhugov
Viscardi Andrade vs. Nicholas Musoke
Charles Oliveira vs. Andy Ogle
Cristiano Marcello vs. Joe Proctor