Israel Adesanya will take a major step up in competition when he faces Brad Tavares in the main event of “The Ultimate Fighter 27” finale.
The promotion announced the matchup on Monday. The “TUF 27” finale takes place at the Pearl Theatre in Las Vegas on July 6 and will also feature the featherweight and lightweight finals from the current season of the reality show. The card will air on Fox Sports 1 following early prelims on UFC Fight Pass.
Adesanya has kicked off his pro career with 13 consecutive triumphs, including two under the UFC banner. After dispatching Rob Wilkinson via second-round TKO in his Octagon debut at UFC 221, “The Last Stylebender” captured a split verdict over Marvin Vettori in his sophomore outing at UFC on Fox 29. The win over Vetori was the first fight that Adesanya was unable to stop via knockout or technical knockout.
Tavares enters the matchup on a four-bout winning streak. Most recently, the 30-year-old Hawaiian scored a third-round technical knockout of Krzysztof Jotko at UFC on Fox 29. Tavares has compiled an 11-4 record in the UFC since beginning his tenure with the Las Vegas-based organization in 2011.