UFC 292 is set to take place on Saturday, August 19, live from the TD Garden in Boston, Ma. The 12-card event will be headlined by a bantamweight title bout between Aljamain Sterling and Sean O’Malley. The other title match on the evening is a women’s strawweight bout between Zhang Weili and No. 5 Amanda Lemos. The main card is slated to get started at 10:00 p.m. ET and is available for streaming on ESPN+.
There is a middleweight bout between Chris Weidman (15-6) and Brad Tavares (19-9) that will cap off the preliminary card. Weidman is making his return to the octagon after a two-year absence stemming from gruesome leg injury. He suffered that fate 17 seconds into the match against Uriah Hall. He is 2-3 in his last five bouts but will have some rust to shake off physically and mentally. The former UFC Champion hasn’t held a title since 2015.
Tavares is entering Saturday’s contest on a two-bout losing streak. This will be his first time in the octagon since April 2023, when he suffered a first-round KO defeat at the hands of Bruno Silva. His last win came in 2021 when he defeated Omari Akhmedov via a third-round split decision. Tavares is a veteran in the business but has yet to earn himself a title opportunity.
How to watch Chris Weidman vs. Brad Taveras
Date: Saturday, August 19
Fight time: Preliminary card starts at 8:00 p.m. ET
Live stream: ESPN and ESPN+ via WatchESPN or the ESPN app
DraftKings Sportsbook Odds/Predictions
Weidman: +210
Taveras: -258
Splits: 66% of handle, 46% of bets on Weidman
Tavares is a pretty considerate favorite here, and one reason is that no one knows what to expect from Weidman in his return. The former champion will certainly have some rust to shake off and need to get a feel for things again. Tavares lands 3.32 significant strikes that he throws and lands 42 percent of them. Weidman may look for a takedown or two, but an advantage that Tavares has is that he defends against 80 percent of the takedown attemptes he faces. Take Tavares to win, and likely by decision.