It’s emerged that UFC officials have opted not to re-sign veteran Brazilian fighter Thiago Tavares to a new deal after his current contract came to an end.
The 32 year-old lightweight has fought for the UFC since 2007, compiling a 10-7-1 record in the Octagon that included wins over the likes of Clay Guida, Sam Stout and Manny Gamburyan.
Tavares had lost two of his last three fights in the promotion and had suffered a first round knockout loss to Doo Ho Choi last time out at the TUF 23 Finale in July of last year.
Now that he’s a free agent, Tavares has opted to sign up with the Aspera FC organization in his native Brazil and is currently scheduled to fight on their 49th event in February against Mauricio Machada, who holds a 17-10 record in the sport, compared to Tavares’ own 20-7-1 run.
