Report: Elias Theodorou vs. Brad Tavares booked for TUF 25 Finale in Las Vegas

The UFC’s return to Las Vegas in July for the first event of “International Fight Week” appears to have its first bout.

Middleweights Elias Theodorou (13-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) and Brad Tavares (14-4 MMA, 9-4 UFC) are reported to be booked for The Ultimate Fighter 25 Finale, according to FloCombat.com. UFC officials have not yet made a formal announcement of the bout.

The TUF 25 Finale takes place Friday, July 7, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card is expected to air on FS1 following prelims on FS1 and UFC Fight Pass. The card will feature the finale of Season 25 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” which airs starting Wednesday on FS1.

Theodorou, from Canada, has won back-to-back fights following the first loss of his pro career. After winning his season of “The Ultimate Fighter: Nations” with a TKO of Sheldon Westcott, he beat Bruno Santos and Roger Narvaez to go to 11-0. But then he dropped a decision to Thiago Santos at UFC Fight Night 80 for his first career setback in December 2015.

The Ontario native fought just once in 2016, but it was a big win – a unanimous decision over Sam Alvey at UFC Fight Night 89 in Ottawa, his home province. He followed that up in February with a decision win over Cezar Ferreira at UFC Fight Night 105 in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Brad Tavares

Tavares, a semifinalist on Season 11 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” started his UFC tenure 7-1 before falling on some tough times against a big step up in competition. After a decision win over Lorenz Larkin gave him five straight wins, he dropped a decision to Yoel Romero, then was knocked out for the first time in his career when he was stopped by Tim Boetsch at UFC Fight Night 47 in Boetsch’s home state of Maine.

He rebounded with a decision over Nate Marquardt at UFC 182, but then went right back to the loss column when Robert Whittaker knocked him out in just 44 seconds in Australia. After more than a year away, Tavares returned at UFC 203 this past September and took a decision from Caio Magalhaes, giving him wins in two of his past three fights.

For more on The Ultimate Fighter 25 Finale, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.