Justin Tafa believes the UFC has sent a message to fighters in its heavyweight division.
When the Kiwi heavyweight makes his return to the octagon in Perth on September 28, he will do so against promotional newcomer Louie Sutherland; the Scotsman being one of three fresh UFC heavyweights on the card.
He joins City Kickboxing-trained Australian Brando Pericic and American Elisha Ellison in a bout that was upgraded from Dana White’s Contender Series. On that show, the pair would have fought in order to be considered for a UFC contract. Instead, they were both hired and the booking was moved to Perth.
They’re some of the new additions to the division that follow some surprising departures. Slovakian Martin Buday was not re-signed at the end of his contract despite his 7-1 UFC record. Jairzinho Rozenstruik was cut after a poor showing in February despite being ranked inside the top 10 of the division.
“I think they’re sending a message with the cuts; they’re trying to prove a point,” Tafa told the Herald.
“They’re signing new people and the guys being cut, they’ve looked at them and been like ‘oh s***, they’ve been cut because they weren’t entertaining. I know what I’ve got to do now that I’m signed.’ Since it’s a bulk signing, they all get the same message.”
Such a message is music to the ears of Tafa, who has made a name for himself as an all-or-nothing, stand-and-bang fighter. While others look to implement their wrestling in order to win bouts, as was the case in his loss against Karl Williams last year, Tafa knows his strengths lie in his striking.
The 31-year-old, now based in Australia, holds a 7-5 professional record with all his wins coming by knockout inside the first two rounds. In the UFC, he holds a 4-5 record, with only three of those nine bouts going to the judges’ scorecards.
“I’ve been pretty lucky. I’ve seen guys like Martin Buday, he was on a roll. Even someone I fought, Karl Williams, he was on a roll too and had a pretty good record, but they just don’t like those crotch sniffers in the heavyweight division. That’s a plus on my side.”
Returning in Perth next month puts Tafa back in the octagon sooner than he expected, with initial indications that he was being lined up for a card in November.
All going well, it will end a frustrating 18-month period in which Tafa was forced to withdraw from more fights than he competed in because of injuries that required surgery and prioritising an illness in the family over travelling to Las Vegas to fight.
“That’s been pretty much it, bro,” Tafa said. “A few injuries, a few surgeries, a couple of withdrawals and only a couple of fights in the last 18 months. But hopefully that’s all of that gone for the rest of my career, all those little mishaps.”
But it will also be a milestone moment for the Tafa family as younger brother Junior has been booked for the card, taking on Ibo Aslan in a light heavyweight bout.
While the two are regularly in each other’s corners for their bouts, Perth will be the first time they have appeared on the same card at the highest level of the sport.
“Not many brothers can say they fought on the same show, especially in the UFC,” Tafa said.
“We’ve been fighting side by side for a long time, bro; since the days at the playgrounds, to the schools, to the high schools, to the bars, you know what I mean, so that’s nothing new.”
Light heavyweight main event: Carlos Ulberg (3) v Dominick Reyes (8)
Heavyweight: Justin Tafa v Louie Sutherland
Light heavyweight: Navajo Stirling v Rodolfo Bellato
Bantamweight: Michelle Montague v Luana Carolina
Light heavyweight: Junior Tafa v Ibo Aslan
Heavyweight: Brando Pericic v Elisha Ellison
Lightweight: Tom Nolan v Evan Elder
Light heavyweight: Jimmy Crute v Ivan Erslan
Strawweight: Loma Lookboonmee (14) v Alexia Thainara
Welterweight: Jake Matthews v Neil Magny
Featherweight: Jack Jenkins v Ramon Taveras
Welterweight: Jonathan Micallef v Oban Elliott
Bantamweight: Colby Thicknesse v Josias Musasa
Lightweight: Jamie Mullarkey v Rolando Bedoya
Middleweight Cameron Rowston is also expected to appear on the card but the UFC has yet to officially confirm his opponent.
Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.