BRAD TAVARES, TIM BOETSCH, AND LUKEWARM VICTORY
By: Dan Shapiro, FIGHTLAND
"If knockouts and submissions are the climax of an MMA fight, then judge’s decisions are the blue balls of mixed martial arts. The excitement persists, but there is no release. Decisions turn concrete evidence of superiority into subjective observation, left in the hands of often under-qualified judges. And while certain fighters, legends like Georges St-Pierre and Jose Aldo, have turned point fighting into an art unto itself, middleweights Brad Tavares and Tim Boetsch, who square off at UFC Fight Night 47, do not fall into that esteemed club. And they need to start finishing fights. Pronto.
"Tavares, a Hawaii native who made his way into the Octagon as a member of the The Ultimate Fighter season 11, is a likeable athlete, a fresh-faced kick boxer who charges forward with the whole stand-and-bang mentality. He seems to always be down to slug it out on his feet, but why then has Tavares not finished a fight in three-and-a-half years?"