One of New Mexico’s most talented submission artists is set to return to the Octagon on November 9th after being pulled from his August 31st bout. Quinn Mulhern (18-3) is scheduled to face fellow Jiu Jitsu ace Thiago Tavares (17-5) on the UFC Fight Night 32 fight card which will be held in Goiania, Brazil. Headlining the show is a light-heavyweight duel, a re-match from Pride between Dan Henderson and Vitor Belfort.
The Jackson-Winklejohn product Mulhern is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt and has deep roots in the rich culture of Brazil’s grappling history. Mulhern was expected to make his 155-pound debut in his last bout and now will have that opportunity to make a run in a new division. Fellow Black Belt Tavares is returning from a suspension stemming from a positive test for the anabolic steroid drostanolone in his previous bout. Before that setback, Tavares was on a win streak with high profile wins over Sam Stout and Spencer Fisher.
The former Strikeforce welterweight contender Mulhern has a very impressive resume which includes a win over one of the Blackzillian’s top grapplers Yuri Villefort. In that bout, Mulhern showed his grappling wizardry as he passed Villefort’s guard and threatened submissions throughout the 15-minute bout. Mulhern stands 6’3” and will be one of, if not the tallest fighter in the weight class. He will enjoy a sizable reach advantage in most fights.
Tavares has had a very up-and-down career stemming way back in 2007 when he made his UFC debut. Going 7-5-1 in that span, Tavares has defeated Manny Gamburyan and took Nik Lentz to a draw. Alike Mulhern, Tavares has stopped eleven opponents via submission in his professional career.
Contrastingly, Mulhern can work off of his back where he has a very tricky guard that is focused around his extremely long legs. Tavares is a top game grappler that looks to dominate position and smother while he hunts submissions or strikes. The bout may end up being a chess match on the mat where Tavares will look to be top control while Mulhern works comfortably from his back.
Stay tuned to SWFight.com for more event coverage, bout breakdown and analysis as we get closer to the November date.
