brad Tavares, hawaii, keahi, martial arts, MMA, polynesian tattoos, samoa writer, tattoo time, Telesa book., UFC

Tattoo Time: Brad Tavares

Lani Young

Back by overwhelming demand and fighting out of the CENSORSHIP corner…I’m happy to present Tattoo Time! Where we studiously examine the artistry and cultural significance of some Polynesian tattoos and (more specifically) the Polynesians who rock them. Today’s feature is Brad  Kaipo Tavares from Hawaii. Brad is an American professional mixed martial arts fighter who competes in the middleweight division.  If any of you watch UFC  then you would have caught his tattooed self in the 2010 season of ‘The Ultimate Fighter.’  (I cant say if he was any good on UFC because I never watch sports where grown men beat the stuffing out of each other. Unless its rugby. And somebody’s having a wardrobe malfunction.)

So how and why did Mr Tavares’ tattoos catch my attention? Some of you know that there’s a new character introduced in my second TELESA book. His name is Keahi. He’s from Hawaii and he has a teensie bit of an attitude problem. He’s also a student of ‘Lua’ which is the traditional Hawaiian martial art…so in the name of research, I turned to Google ( the fountain of all wisdom and knowledge) and Tavares’ tattoos were most intriguing. At first I thought Tavares might have some Samoan in him BUT we asked him on Twitter and he graciously replied, “No.” (It’s okay, we won’t hold it against you.) Brad was born in Kailua, Hawaii in 1987 and his fight specialties are muay thai and wrestling. He currently fights out of Las Vegas.
He has a half-sleeve and chest tattoo on his left arm. (You might see it better if he puts his arms up, like so…)

And here it is again, this time in action in the ring. 
And here it is with flames. Because everything is better with fire, right? 

And running down his right side is some more ink. This time its his name and it is a beautiful piece of tattoo artistry…

 Isn’t it so annoying how abs and definition can get in the way of appreciating the tattoo?! 
Tavares also has ink that runs the full length of his right leg which is a first for our Tattoo Time feature.

You can see more of Tavares’ tattoos on You Tube here: http://youtu.be/tg_eXUrJFr8 and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-Z4VC6cT3A
And one last time…those tattoos ( HELLO, QUIT LOOKING AT ANYTHING ELSE!)

So there you have it. Tattoo Time with Brad Tavares. Just sharing some of my hard work research efforts with you as I continue on my endless quest to ‘Find Keahi..…

Published by Lani Young

Lani Young is an international bestselling author of YA fantasy, contemporary romance and literary fiction. The 2018 Pacific Laureate, her work is inspired by the diverse mythology of Oceania and the richness of her cultural heritage as a Samoan / Maori woman.

19 thoughts on “Tattoo Time: Brad Tavares”

  1. Yhis is my first time commenting here. I just discovered you at Paige Kellerman's blog yesterday. Very interesting–some beautiful artvork in the lettering.

  2. I love that you asked him on Twitter if he's Samoan! I wouldn't dare send anything to people for some reason. My husband watched UFC like a madman but I haven't seen Brad fight. Hahahaha about having his name tattooed on himself. Guys are weird. I wonder if any women tattoo their names on themselves?

  4. Haha – I didnt think he would answer actually! And Im still not 100% sure he's NOT a little teensie bit Samoan…hmmm. This is the prob with social media, it makes you say stuff to complete strangers that you never would otherwise. If I saw Tavares somewhere, would I go ask him anything? Heck no! And i agree, what is up with the whole put your own name on yourself thing? Ive never seen a woman do it. Maybe someone should write a feminist thesis on it, LOL.

  5. Aaahh, the return of 'Tattoo Time'. Purely coincidence that the censors are indisposed, of course. Lol! I don't know how you do it, but you find the most interesting tattoos out there! I love tattoos 🙂

  7. haha, i watched him on ultimate fighter! not that i like mma — i'm just like you — but my husband is from a family of almost all boys, one brother of which used to train mma style and followed ufc religiously. it's still kinda weird to me seeing non-samoans donning tatau style tattoos. but his tats are pretty sweet. good for him for still "living his dream" of being a ufc contender. and good for you for doing great research for keahi.

  8. Why am I NOT surprised that this is the first blog post that you have commented on in MONTHS Ms Bina?! I was actually going to DEDICATE this Tattoo Time to you…just because I know you are such a dedicated tattoo appreciator.

  10. Can I just say 'mahalo nui loa' both for bringing back Tattoo Time and for featuring a kane from Hawaii! I am fortunate to see oh so many lovely tatts and sleeves all around me in Hawaii…if you ever host an open forum where we can submit and vote publicly, I have nominees (and photos) in mind 🙂 Have a Tatt-fully wonderful day! Aloha!

  13. Ooooo!!! He's pretty nice looking. Oh yea, ummm the tattoo? Yea I love the one on the leg. That manly smexy leg of his. Oh and the other ones? Can I just say thanks for these pics?

  15. Hi Lani! My first time commenting on your blog. I like your tattoo story. Like the images of the tattoos even more.:) Will you bring Telesa to Hawaii in your search for Keahi? Just me…Tina Mata'afa-Elise. Do your thang girl. Awesomeness 🙂

  17. Always a pleasure to have you visit the blog Esther. My husband watches MMA all the time and I sit there and zone out with a book…except when theres someone very interesting and tattoo-critique-worthy in the ring!

  18. Hi Delia – i would LOVE to see these nominees and photos that you have in mind! Yes, I thought it was long overdue time to bring back some tattoo action to the blog. I wonder who will be next week…

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