Neither man is currently ranked in the top 25 of the USA Today/BE Consensus Rankings, but both have been there in the past and a win in this fight would definitely earn them some consideration again. Both have fallen on hard times a bit lately, so this fight is absolutely vital for both men. This lightweight UFC 134 fight will take place on the preliminary card, which will be shown live on Spike TV. The Spike broadcast begins at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.
How do these two stack up?
Tavares: 26 years old | 5'7" | 70" reach
Fisher: 35 years old | 5'7" | 68" reach
What have these two done recently?
Tavares: L -http://forums.wrestlingsmarks.../mma/fighter/122964/erik-koch Shane Roller (KO) | W - Pat Audinwood (SUB) | D - Nik Lentz (MD)
Fisher: L - Ross Pearson (UD) | W- Curt Warburton (UD) | L - Dennis Siver (UD)
How did these two get here?
Thiago Tavares has been hanging around for the UFC for over four years now, dealing with a roller coaster of wins and losses over that time. His last few fights have been particularly frustrating for him. He's 2-1-1 over those four, which is pretty respectable, but he could easily be 4-0. He lost a point for what was deemed to be an intentional cup kick in the third round against Nik Lentz at UFC Fight Night 20, and it cost him a decision win. He was also completely controlling his last fight at UFC on Versus 3 until he got caught with a crazy punch and knocked out by Shane Roller. He might only be 5-4-1 in the UFC, but the 26-year-old Tavares is a lot better than his record and can still be a challenger in the lightweight division.
Spencer "The King" Fisher is one of the few non-Ultimate Fighter guys that has stuck around through thick and thin in the UFC. 15 career fights is quite the accomplishment, and he doesn't appear to be slowing down any time soon. He's just 1-3 in his last four fights, but he still holds wins over quality fighters like Thiago Alves and Jeremy Stephens in the past and is always a threat. The former Pat Miletich disciple is almost never boring and that's why he continually gets TV time. He's also tough as nails and extremely hard to finish, two qualities that endear himself to Dana White.
Why should you care?
This is on Spike for a reason. It might not be the most relevant fight you've ever seen (especially in a stacked lightweight division), but both of these guys always bring it and there's very little chance of this fight being slow or predictable. Plus, it'll be the first fight on TV where you get to see how rabid a Brazilian crowd can be when it comes to supporting one of their own.
More UFC 134 Previews from Bloody Elbow after the jump.
- Bloody Elbow Staff Predictions for UFC 134
- Anderson Silva vs. Yushin Okami Preview - Leland Roling
- Anderson Silva vs. Yushin Okami 1 Fight Video - Mike Fagan
- Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua vs. Forrest Griffin Preview - Leland Roling
- Brendan Schaub vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira Dissection - Dallas Winston
- Ross Pearson vs Edson Barboza Dissection - Dallas Winston
- Luiz Cane vs. Stanislav Nedkov Dissection - Dallas Winston
- UFC 134 Celebrity Picks - Cove Reber vs. Natasha Wicks
- Spike TV Preliminary Card Dissection - Dallas Winston
- UFC 134: Rio - Facebook Preliminary Card Dissection - Dallas Winston
- UFC 134: Weigh-In Video Highlights