Justin Tafa makes his return to the UFC octagon at UFC 284 in Perth. Photo / Getty
Justin Tafa makes his return to the UFC octagon at UFC 284 in Perth. Photo / Getty
UFC heavyweight Justin Tafa vividly remembers the conversation with Mark Hunt that changed the trajectory of his own sporting journey.
Growing up in Auckland suburb Avondale before travelling to Australia in pursuit of a blooming rugby league career, Tafa said he lacked confidence in himself during his youth.
Trading leaguefor combat sports in 2014 after some time in the Melbourne Storm’s under-20s system, Tafa was one of several young talents taken under the wing of Hunt — a pioneer of mixed martial arts in New Zealand and Australia.
It was during a training camp with the ‘Super Samoan’ in 2016 that Tafa began to understand the mentality and assurance in oneself needed to achieve success in the sport.
Hunt was preparing to take on former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir at a UFC event in Brisbane and after a particularly tough sparring session soon before the bout was scheduled to take place, Tafa was unsure if the fight would happen.
“It was the last sparring session. I think he tore his calf muscle and Carlos Ulberg broke his nose and he had a cracked rib. This was just in camp,” Tafa recalled.
“We sat down the next morning for breakfast. I was looking over to him across the table like ‘far man, is this guy going to be alright for the fight?’ I asked him how he felt and, with no hesitation, he goes ‘I’m going to lay Frank Mir out on his back’.”
Hunt won the fight via first-round knockout, catching Mir with a right hand around his left ear. The American hit the canvas straight away and lay on his back trying to regather himself while Hunt walked off to celebrate his win.
“That’s the confidence, that’s the assurance you need in yourself to make it big. There’s no joking around or anything. I thought ‘if he can do it, then why not me?’ And he said the same thing. That’s when I started taking it more seriously and backing myself more.”
Mark Hunt claimed a first-round win over Frank Mir when they met in 2016. Photo / Getty Images
Tafa made his amateur MMA debut a year after that event — winning via first-round knockout. That trend continued into his professional career, with three knockout wins seeing him get a UFC call-up late in 2019.
Since that time, Tafa has gone 2-3 with the world’s largest MMA promotion. Getting into the UFC so early in his career, the 29-year-old said he still hasn’t found his feet as a complete fighter and would be one of those athletes whose record didn’t tell the full story of their journey.
“I still am developing and making my game better. I haven’t even had 10 fights yet,” Tafa said.
“But I’m maturing as a fighter now, making mature choices with my striking and training. I was really quite green to it early. I’m heading in the right direction, and it’s going to be a big year.”
That big year begins next weekend in Perth, with Tafa making his return after a year of inactivity following hip surgery to take on American Parker Porter (12-7) at UFC 284.
Porter is almost as opposite to Tafa as possible among the UFC heavyweight division. The 39-year-old has been fighting professionally in MMA since 2007, going 3-2 since receiving his opportunity with the UFC in 2020.
Tafa said it was a shot at redemption in front of a home crowd, after being knocked out in his UFC debut in Melbourne in late 2019.
“I got stopped bad, so this was that thing I always wanted to get back; fighting at home and getting a win in front of my family,” Tafa said.
“I think [Porter] is going to come in and be the bull that he’s used to being. I don’t see him steering away too far from that because he’s had a lot of fights and fought that style a lot.
“I want to see how he can handle another bull coming at him. Does he have that same energy? He hasn’t fought a power-striker yet like myself who sits heavy and can strike, so we’ll see how he can handle my pressure.”
