Thiago Tavares Dropping to Featherweight, Welcomes Zubair Tuhugov at UFC Fight Night 36

Thiago Tavares, as expected, is making the move to featherweight. He will debut in the division against UFC debutant Zubair Tuhugov at UFC Fight Night 36 on Feb. 15 in Jaragua do Sul, Brazil.

Brazilian news site Combate.com first reported the bout, noting that the fight has been verbally agreed to with an official announcement soon to follow.

After defeating Justin Salas in a lightweight bout at UFC Fight Night 32 in early November, Tavares (18-5-1) proclaimed that he would like to take his next bout at featherweight.

The fight is the first of a reported four-fight contract extension for Tavares with the UFC.

The bout is Tuhugov’s first for the UFC after having built a solid 15-3 record fighting primarily on his home turf in Russia. He is riding a six-fight victorious streak, as he heads into the Octagon to fight Tavares.

A middleweight bout between Lyoto Machida and Gegard Mousasi headlines the UFC Fight Night 36 fight card.