Golden Boy

Fighter profile of Cristian Tavares by Chris Karter

Cristian Tavares

@GoldenBoy420

15-1-0 (5 KO's - 5 Subs - 5 Dec)

Fighter Bio:

After changing management agencies and signing with Chris Karter, he would sign with Victory Combat League in New York. Having coming from boxing in Mexico city and competing in the Olympics, he knew he was ready for the bright lights. He was a 20 year old 1-0 Lightweight MMA fighter and in his first fight with the organization he would receive an offer to face the 6-1-1 Bapu Burpha who was 22 years old and vastly more experienced and trained. Karter was furious with the fight offer but Cristian believed he was the best in the world and wanted to test himself and prove to everybody that he was as good as he thought he was. He went into the fight looking for the one-punch kill, and the result was a sobering experience. He'd go on to lose this fight letting far too many leg kicks go un-checked and getting worked over in the clinch pressed up against the cage. 

"I wanna apologize to the fans. Lo siento (I am sorry). I can do better, I'll train harder. I'm better than this guy, and I'm a better fighter than this. Now I gotta go out and prove it."

His confidence unwavering even in defeat, he'd vow vengeance and to bounce back even harder, realizing that he can't rely on his boxing and punching power to win every fight, that he'd need to refine his technique and put in hours at the gym. Chris Karter was still furious with the mismatch and was very public with his disapproval. Tavares' next opponent was a 27 year old wrestler, and he made quick work of him submitting his foe 40 seconds into the first round. VCL would go defunct with rumors circulating that Convicted Inc. shut down the promotion due to piss-poor matchmaking.

Cristian Tavares would train his ass off at Convicted Fight Club to fix the holes in his game and compete on the local circuit adding experience to his resume. Even though he faces 3 local cans, he'd defeat them in impressive fashion displaying his finishing ability with 1 submission, 1 TKO, and 1 Superman Punch that earned his some notoriety.

The 4-1 fighter dropped down to the Featherweight division signing with GENERATION, and quickly faced major step up and competition in comparison to the QFC fight scene. His first fight would be against Sonny Muchacho's fighter Ching Ching. He'd win in dominant fashion, utilizing crisp punches and excellent technique as he picked apart his opponent for 3 rounds on the way to a unanimous decision. His next opponent was former GENERATION champion Anton Altair, and it turned out to be closest fight of his career. Cristian's boxing was once again on display in the first two rounds but he'd show a lack of discipline in the 3rd and Altair would land a voluminous amount of kicks. He picked up the win but it was a close fight that ended in a Majority Decision victory.

"He's a tough dude. I didn't start checking leg kicks til the final minute of the 4th round, that was probably a mistake, eh? But y'know, live and learn. I really thought I was just as good of a kick boxer if not better and I tried to prove it early, y'know, but I kinda kicked him in the junk and it I felt bad for amigo, man, right in the nads. So it through me off my game a lil."

Next opponent; Davie Brophy, from the flamboyant and eccentric GBK camp. Although his manager was a weird, awkward, string-bean of a human being, Davie was actually quite the fighter. He was a 4x Featherweight Champion and future GENERATION Hall of Famer. This was a #1 contender fight and the first of Cristian's career. Brophy was fresh off a title fight that he lost via Decision, and was hungry to get back into the mix. None-the-less, the Mexican Jr. Olympian would come out and dominate the fight for 3 rounds earning a hard earned decision.

GENERATION would shut down, and Cristian was standing there with his dick in his hand, no title shot he deserved. New York didn't work out. London didn't work out. There weren't a whole lot of offers coming in that made sense. He decided to sign with HFC (Hardcore Fighting Championships) because he wanted to freeze his nuts off in St. Petersburg, Russia. His first fight offer was vs Jeremiah Lukker's Jiu-Jitsu specialist Fransisco Costa, and he'd TKO Costa in the opening stretch of the 3rd round. This win was enough to warrant him a title shot vs a legend in the organization.

When Cristian signed to HFC's Featherweight division, Kotetsu Yamamoto was the reigning champion and he looked unbeatable. He was coming off 7 consecutive title defenses. He was a 13-2 fighter with the only 2 losses of his career coming in his first 3 fights. Yamamoto was riding a 12-fight win streak and a huge favorite going into the bout. When the fight started, Tavares came out and threw a leg kick and Yamamoto instantly countered with a takedown. Cristian wasn't phased nor was he impressed. He secured an arm, flipped on his stomach, and cranked til Yamamoto screamed in pain and tapped out. The fight was over before it even started and at 1:33 of Round 1, your new HFC Featherweight Champion, Cristian Tavares!

The entire organization was in disbelief and so was Yamamoto and Ken Takahashi's camp. They knew Tavares was a world class boxer, but they didn't respect his Jiu-Jitsu and suffered for it. An immediate rematch was put on the table and after back-in-forth negotiations between the two's management, Tavares vs Yamamoto II was official. This time the HFC Hall of famer wanted nothing to do with the ground game, and tried to smother the Mexican boxer against the cage and point-fight. He had success with it early but by the 3rd round Cristian started to adapt, implement his gameplan, and takeover the fight. Tavares was out there head hunting, and early in the 5th round he dropped Yamamoto with a slick left-right combination and followed it up by cracking him with a monster right hand that left him toppling backwards into the canvas and unconscious. Cristian Tavares just sent the entire organization a message.

"I don't play that shit homes. This is my belt. That first fight wasn't no fluke."

One belt wasn't enough. After crowning himself the king of the division and knocking the old one off of the block, there were no other contenders left. He decided to move up to Lightweight and face the 155 lb champion, Teemu Karjalainen who was on a 7 fight win streak. 5 rounds of excellence and one golden shower later, Cristian Tavares was a two-division champion. The competition kept coming. He'd face a murderers row of opponents; Ben Miller, Lee Sang Seok, and Ely Scrubs. After a good fight with Ben Miller that went the distance, he'd face back-to-back BJJ black belts. Cristian Tavares would submit them both in the first round - the first submission losses of both of their careers.

Cristian Tavares is on a 14 fight win streak. He is the HFC Featherweight and Lightweight champion. He's cleaned out both divisions and survived the gauntlet that was in his way. He was dominant in victory, flawless in technique, and he's beaten the best the organization has had to offer. He's considered one of the best fighters in his division(s) by most MMA analyst and if you ask his coaches, he's still got a lot of room for improvement. He recently announced on Buzz that he's taking a vacation - and he's earned it.

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