Justin Tafa

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Justin Tafa
Born (1993-12-13) 13 December 1993 (age 27)
Auckland, New Zealand
Other namesBad Man
ResidenceBrisbane, Queensland, Australia
NationalityNew Zealander and Australian
Height183 cm (6 ft 0 in)
Weight120 kg (265 lb; 18 st 13 lb)
Reach188 cm (74 in)[1]
Fighting out ofBrisbane, Queensland, Australia
TeamNTG Fight & Fitness
TrainerKerry McNaught
RankBlue belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu[2] under Patrick Cronin[citation needed]
Years active2017–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total7
Wins4
By knockout4
Losses3
By knockout1
By decision2
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Justin Tafa (born 13 December 1993) is a New Zealand–Australian mixed martial arts fighter of Samoan heritage, currently competing in the Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Early life[]

Tafa was born in Auckland, New Zealand, to a family of Samoan descent, and grew up in the west Auckland suburb of Avondale.[3] Tafa comes from a family of fighters. Tafa's grandfather was a national boxing champion while his three brothers have also fought professionally, with Junior Tafa a top-10 ranked heavyweight in leading kickboxing promotion Glory. [4]

Rugby league career[]

He played for the Marist Saints in the junior Auckland Rugby League[5] and was signed to the Melbourne Storm.[6][7] Tafa's athletic career began in rugby league, and he was signed to the Melbourne Storm and played in the under-20s competition but a run of injuries left him disillusioned with the sport. [8]

Mixed martial arts career[]

Early career[]

Tafa made his professional debut at XFC 30, with a second-round stoppage of Dylan Tiaaleaiga. Tafa was then scheduled to fight Jeremy Joiner for the XFC Heavyweight title, at XFC 36. He won the fight by TKO, after just 28 seconds.[9]

Tafa was scheduled to make his first title defense against David Taumoepeau on May 24, 2019, at XFC 41.[10] He won the fight by a second-round TKO, stopping his opponent 30 seconds into the second round.[11]

Ultimate Fighting Championship[]

Tafa made his promotional debut on 6 October 2019 at UFC 243 against Yorgan de Castro.[12] He lost the fight via knockout in the first round.[13]

For his second fight with the promotion, Tafa faced Juan Adams on 8 February 2020 at UFC 247.[14] He won the fight via TKO in the first round.[15]

Tafa was scheduled to face Raphael Pessoa on 25 July 2020 at UFC on ESPN 14.[16] However, he pulled out on 15 July due to unknown reasons and was replaced by Tanner Boser.[17]

Tafa faced Carlos Felipe on 16 January 2021 at UFC on ABC: Holloway vs. Kattar.[18] He lost the bout via controversial split decision. 16 out of 20 media scores gave it to Tafa.[19][20]

Tafa faced Jared Vanderaa on 22 May 2021 at UFC Fight Night 188.[21] He lost the bout via unanimous decision.[22] This bout earned him the Fight of the Night award.[23]

Championships and achievements[]

Mixed martial arts[]

Mixed martial arts record[]

Professional record breakdown hide
7 matches 4 wins 3 losses
By knockout 4 1
By decision 0 2
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Loss 4–3 Jared Vanderaa Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Font vs. Garbrandt 22 May 2021 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Fight of the Night.
Loss 4–2 Carlos Felipe Decision (split) UFC on ABC: Holloway vs. Kattar 16 January 2021 3 5:00 Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Win 4–1 Juan Adams TKO (punches) UFC 247 8 February 2020 1 1:59 Houston, Texas, United States
Loss 3–1 Yorgan de Castro KO (punch) UFC 243 6 October 2019 1 2:10 Melbourne, Australia
Win 3–0 David Taumoepeau TKO (punches) XFC 41 24 May 2019 2 0:30 Brisbane, Australia Defended the XFC Heavyweight Championship.
Win 2–0 Jeremy Joiner TKO (punches) XFC 36 28 July 2018 1 0:28 Brisbane, Australia Won the XFC Heavyweight Championship.
Win 1–0 Dylan Tiaaleaiga TKO (punches) XFC 30 20 May 2018 2 3:35 Brisbane, Australia Heavyweight debut.

[24]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "Stats | UFC". ufcstats.com. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  2. ^ "Justin Tafa | UFC". UFC.com. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  3. ^ "Kiwi Justin Tafa's journey from NRL prospect to UFC heavyweight". Stuff.co.nz. 9 February 2020.
  4. ^ "Kiwi Justin Tafa's journey from NRL prospect to UFC heavyweight". Stuff. 8 February 2020. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  5. ^ "UFC heavyweight Justin Tafa reveals why he quit Melbourne Storm to fight". dailytelegraph.com.au. 8 February 2020.
  6. ^ "Big crowd jump for UFC newcomer Tafa – Nine Wide World of Sports". wwos.nine.com.au. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
  7. ^ "Kiwi Justin Tafa's journey from NRL prospect to UFC heavyweight". Stuff. 8 February 2020. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
  8. ^ France, Marvin (8 February 2020). "Kiwi Justin Tafa's journey from NRL prospect to UFC heavyweight". Stuff. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  9. ^ Jump up to: a b Williams, Lachlan (31 July 2018). "Joiner slumps to third consecutive loss, gives up XFC heavyweight title". stawelltimes.com.au. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  10. ^ Post, Chris. "Heavyweights Justin Tafa and David Taumoepeau meet at XFC 41". fightnewsaustralia.com. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  11. ^ Jump up to: a b FNA Staff. "Justin Tafa defends XFC heavyweight title; stops David Taumoepeau at XFC 41". fightnewsaustralia.com. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  12. ^ "Kiwi Justin Tafa's journey from NRL prospect to UFC heavyweight". Stuff. 8 February 2020.
  13. ^ Damon Martin (6 October 2019). "UFC 243 results: Yorgan De Castro lands devastating walk-off KO to finish Justin Tafa". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  14. ^ NZME, Christopher Reive Christopher Reive is a sports reporter for (7 February 2020). "UFC: Justin Tafa looking to make amends at UFC 247 for 'sloppy' loss on debut" – via www.nzherald.co.nz.
  15. ^ Matt Erikson and John Morgan (10 February 2020). "Justin Tafa needed to rebound from being starched, and did it in big way at UFC 247". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  16. ^ Heck, Mike (12 June 2020). "Justin Tafa vs. Raphael Pessoa set for UFC 'Fight Island' event July 25". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
  17. ^ Nolan King (15 July 2020). "Justin Tafa off July 25 UFC 'Fight Island' event; Tanner Boser expected to face Raphael Pessoa". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  18. ^ DNA, MMA (14 October 2020). "Heavyweight partij tussen Justin Tafa en Carlos Felipe op 16 januari 2021". MMA DNA. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  19. ^ Jay Anderson (16 January 2021). "UFC Fight Island 7 Results: Heavyweight Slugfest Sees Carlos Felipe Get by Justin Tafa". cagesidepress. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  20. ^ "Carlos Felipe def. Justin Tafa :: UFC on ABC 1 :: MMA Decisions". www.mmadecisions.com. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
  21. ^ DNA, MMA (12 March 2021). "Heavyweights Justin Tafa en Jared Vanderaa vechten op 22 mei tijdens UFC evenement". MMA DNA. Retrieved 13 March 2021.
  22. ^ Doherty, Dan (22 May 2021). "UFC Vegas 27 Results: Jared Vanderaa Wins Fun Scrap Against Justin Tafa". Cageside Press. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  23. ^ Jump up to: a b Haynes, Stephie (22 May 2021). "UFC Vegas 27 post-fight bonuses: Esparza KO's Xiaonan for POTN honors". Bloody Elbow. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  24. ^ Sherdog.com. "Justin". Sherdog. Retrieved 9 February 2020.

External links[]

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