Hawaii’s Brad Tavares set to make UFC history on Saturday

For the 30th time in his professional career, Hawaii’s Brad Tavares will make the walk to the octagon this weekend, featured as the co-main event for the 60th UFC card on ESPN.

The Hilo native will face off against Park Jun-Yong (17-6) in a 185-pound showdown. Tavares (20-9) will be making history on Saturday, fighting for the 25th time in the UFC since 2010, marking the most all-time in middleweight history.

A victory, which would be his 16th in the organization, would tie him with Michael Bisping for the most wins at 185 pounds. Despite all the accolades and his place in the record books, Tavares has kept his motivation consistent from day one.

“Look at our sport. Our sport is fighting that. You’re in there in a cage with another dude that’s been training to take you out. He wants to put your lights out. Whether that’s a knockout submission, breaking your arm, whatever it is, that person wants to inflict damage on you. So that way has always been very easy,” Tavares said.

“I don’t want that to happen. And I want to do that to him, I don’t want to go out there and embarrass myself. It’s not always your night come the night. It’s not always your night. You come up short sometimes. But I think the why in the fight camp is putting in that work.”

On Saturday, Tavares will join Max Holloway and B.J. Penn as Hawaii fighters to appear 25 times in the UFC.

“There’s no questions asked at the end of it, all those records and achievements, I’m not just dusting it off. It does mean something because not everybody has done it or can’t do it, but when I’m in training, it’s not something that I’m actively thinking about. But when I do start thinking about stuff like that, I’m like, that is a big accomplishment, you know?”

“So I’m honored, you know, to be able to have my name along with the greats like that.”

The main card in Las Vegas is set for 2 p.m. Hawaii time and will be televised on ESPN.