UFC: Justin Tafa claims first-round knockout win over Harry Hunsucker

Justin Tafa beat Harry Hunsucker via first-round head kick on the final UFC card of the year. Photo / Getty Images

Kiwi UFC star Justin Tafa has closed out the year on a high, finishing American Harry Hunsucker with a first-round head kick in Las Vegas on Sunday.

After a camp that Tafa said had everything go wrong that could have, including seeing him become the first heavyweight to miss weight in UFC history, the 28-year-old shrugged off the struggles to put on the best performance of his UFC career.

Hunsucker, who had the more extensive background in grappling, tried to bring Tafa into his world and take the fight to the mat early in the fight. Unsuccessful with his only takedown attempt, Tafa asserted his dominance on the feet - wobbling Hunsucker a couple of times before finishing him off with a head kick.

Both fighters landed just five strikes each in the fight according to UFC statistics, with Tafa making every one of his count.

"What more can you say?" Tafa said when asked how he felt about his performance.

"I didn't get tagged once. He was trying to put me in submissions and I was like, 'Bro, get out of here'."

Despite the impressive performance, Tafa was not eligible to win a US$50,000 performance of the night bonus due to missing weight, while he also forfeits 30 per cent of his purse to Hunsucker.

He addressed his weight cut after the fight, saying he followed his normal process but he lost no weight at all, before apologising for the miss.

"I saunaed for like, 11 or 12 hours just to get it and by the time I hit that last pound, I don't think I could have fought if I continued," Tafa said.

"A goal of mine was to make history, but that wasn't the way I wanted to. It was unprofessional of me and it will never happen again, and I apologise to all those who were involved."

The win saw Tafa finish the year on the right side of the ledger after two losses earlier in 2021 - one in which he seriously injured his hand.

He said, if he was injury-free, he would like to make his return in early 2022 as part of the UFC 271 card on February 13, which is being headlined by Israel Adesanya's rematch against Robert Whittaker.