A former cast member on “The Ultimate Fighter 11,” Brad Tavares has been a fixture on the UFC roster for an incredible run of 12 years.

On Saturday, Tavares (19-6 MMA, 14-6 UFC) returns to the octagon after a lenghty layoff to face South Africa’s Dricus du Plessis (16-2 MMA, 2-0 UFC) at UFC 276. The early preliminary bout airs on ESPN and streams on ESPN+ ahead of the night’s ESPN+ pay-per-view main card.

Ahead of that matchup, Tavares spoke with MMA Underground’s John Morgan to discuss his recent injury, the path of his career at the moment and his upcoming matchup with du Plessis. The Hawaiian veteran also shared the story of an unexpected meeting with “Stillknocks” at the UFC Performance Institute. 

Check out the full interview in the video above.