LAS VEGAS – Brad Tavares came into his middleweight fight with Nate Marquardt on a two-fight losing streak. The veteran Marquardt, for his past, entered the MGM Grand on Saturday with three losses in his past four fights.
Sometimes, those desperate dynamics make for an exciting fight. Sometimes it produces fighters in fear of getting cut.
The latter appeared to rule the day at UFC 182. Both fighters turned in tentative performance in front of a jeering crowd which was getting restless about the main event. But Tavares showed more life when it matted and earned a 30-27 decision across the board.
Frankly, the less said, the better. Exchanges were rare. Tavares scored an interesting throw in the second round and if you were looking for something to score, he did initiate whatever action there was, landing leg kicks and occasionally moving in and landing combos.
Tavares improved to 13-3 with his seventh career decision win; Marquardt dropped to 33-14-2.