Brad Tavares

“It is such an honor getting to work with Ray Sefo.”

“I am a respectful guy.”

“I'm not going to lie, getting the co-main event is kind of cool. But it means a lot more to my friends and family.”

“Fighting in Vegas, my adopted hometown, means a little bit more and it means that my friends and family from Hawaii and I get to represent for them.”

“I don't think any of my fights have been boring, even when the ones went to decision.”

“To win in the UFC is hard enough, let alone do it five consecutive times.”

“Street fights in Hawaii are so controlled you would think they were sanctioned. It's really hard to explain. It's almost like a peaceful violence.”

“The better placement you get, the more it adds up to sponsorship dollars, and the more fans see you and want to see you.”

“When I was training Hawaii I had a normal job where I was working 60-plus hours a week, at least 40 hours minimum, and then I would go train after that. But then I moved to Las Vegas and began training at Xtreme Couture.”

“The UFC knows I'm a tough fighter, but at the end of the day, it's a business.”

“The Bisping fight is a fight I've wanted for years now - years and years.”

“Do I have any issues with Chris Weidman? No, I do not. But do I think for a second that guy wants to take it easy on me and doesn't want to hurt me if he has the opportunity? Hell no. It's the fight game.”

“As fighters, we pretty much only get paid when we fight, and it's on us to get sponsors to help in the in-between with doing appearances, signings or whatever else.”

“I try to make it exciting and fun for the fans.”

“I've always considered myself a counter-striker.”

“Weidman is a boxer, kicks a little bit but ultimately sets everything up with his wrestling. He has great grappling.”

“You look at a guy like Chuck Liddell, for instance. He had an amazing chin for all of his career and toward the end he got clipped and it seemed every fight after that, it didn't take much to put him down.”

“Obviously, I would love to get it back with some of the people I dropped to, one of those being Dricus. After me, he went on a run, and if I could get that fight back, I would love that.”

“I moved to Vegas because I wanted to fight and I thought it would help my career and it has.”

“When I am kicking somebody, it's bad intentions. I do want to hurt them. This is fighting.”