Brad Tavares will make his 25th walk to the UFC Octagon on July 20 when he welcomes fan favorite JunYong Park in the co-main event of UFC Vegas 94.
Once the cage door closes, Tavares will set a new record with the most middleweight fights in UFC history, breaking his current tie with former champion Michael Bisping. As a resident of Las Vegas, Tavares will be in his backyard fighting at the UFC APEX for his second consecutive outing. Despite being from Korea, Park is also no stranger to the building, fighting in the venue for the eighth straight time.
Brad Tavares vs. JunYong Park Tale of the Tape
| Brad Tavares | JunYong Park | |
| 20-9 | Record | 17-6 |
| 15-9 | UFC Record | 7-3 |
| 36 | Age | 33 |
| 6’1″ | Height | 5’10” |
| 74 inches | Reach | 73 inches |
| Xtreme Couture | Team | Korean Top Team |
| Eric Nicksick | Head Coach | Dong-Jin Ha |
| L1 | Streak | L1 |
Brad Tavares vs. JunYong Park Matchup Stats
View the matchup stats as they appear on UFC Stats below:
| Brad Tavares | JunYong Park | |
| 3.38 | Significant Strikes Landed per Minute | 4.53 |
| 43% | Striking Accuracy | 50% |
| 3.15 | Significant Strikes Absorbed per Minute | 3.3 |
| 55% | Striking Defense | 53% |
| 0.78 | Takedown Average | 1.83 |
| 26% | Takedown Accuracy | 50% |
| 81% | Takedown Defense | 57% |
| 0 | Submission Average | 1.1 |
| 12:49 | Average Fight Time | 11:29 |
Brad Tavares’ Last Fight
As shocking as it may seem, Tavares is only one win away from tying Michael Bisping with the most wins in UFC middleweight history. However, that win did not come in his last fight, as Tavares succumbed to the accumulating damage of Gregory Rodrigues, losing by third-round standing TKO. The loss was his third in his last four fights.
Even with the loss to Rodrigues, Tavares has kept his status as the unofficial middleweight gatekeeper intact, having only lost to elite competition in his career. Throughout his 29 professional fight tenure, the Hawaiian has only lost to four fighters who have not graced the UFC 185-pound rankings and Rodrigues could lower that to three with another win.
JunYong Park’s Last Fight
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From 2022 to 2023, Park went on the best run of his career with a four-fight win streak that saw him become a fan favorite and on the verge of the middleweight rankings. The run would end at UFC Vegas 83 with a split-decision loss to Andre Muniz. In the fight, Park ceded 11 takedowns and over nine minutes of control time to the Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace.
Even with the recent loss, Park will arguably face the best opponent of his career in his upcoming fight with Brad Tavares. Before losing to Muniz, the Korean finished three straight fights by submission and will look to resume the momentum he once had against an opponent in Tavares who has never been submitted through 17 years as a professional mixed martial artist.
Key Stats
While both Brad Tavares and JunYong Park love to box, Park has shown a tendency to mix in his wrestling in the past. That tactic will be difficult to employ against the 36-year-old divisional mainstay who has defended 81 percent of takedowns shot on him in his UFC career against some of the best the weight class has had to offer.
On the feet, Park has tended to land more volume in his previous fights which is the key to beating Tavares. Regardless, Park has won just twice in the UFC without landing a takedown and does not have the power equivalent to that of Tavares’ three most recent opponents who all beat him with that factor.
The last opponent to purely out-strike Tavares without getting a quick knockout was Dricus du Plessis, the current middleweight champion and a fighter whom Park is a far cry from. Regardless, ‘The Iron Turtle’ is the betting favorite as the younger fighter with presumably more cardio and durability.
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