Brad Tavares vs Thales Leites — Fight recap

Brad Tavares defeated Thales Leites by unanimous decision over three rounds on October 7, 2017, in a middleweight bout that saw the Hawaiian striker control the striking exchanges. Tavares landed 70 significant strikes at 51% accuracy, including 23 leg kicks that were particularly effective in dictating the fight's pace, while Leites managed only 46 significant strikes at 34% efficiency despite attempting seven takedowns that all failed.

The fight remained standing throughout with minimal grappling, and Tavares scored a knockdown in the contest while accumulating just over a minute of control time compared to Leites' nearly three minutes. Though Leites' wrestling attempts went unrewarded, Tavares' superior striking volume and accuracy, combined with his leg kick assault and the knockdown, secured all three rounds on the judges' scorecards.

The victory kept Tavares in contention at middleweight and demonstrated his capacity to outpoint durable competition in a pure striking affair.