Justin Tafa
| Justin Tafa | |
|---|---|
| Born | 13 December 1993 Auckland, New Zealand |
| Other names | Bad Man |
| Residence | Brisbane, Queensland, Australia |
| Nationality |
|
| Height | 183 cm (6 ft 0 in) |
| Weight | 120 kg (265 lb; 18 st 13 lb) |
| Reach | 188 cm (74 in) [1] |
| Fighting out of | Brisbane, Queensland, Australia |
| Rank | Blue belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Patrick Cronin[2] |
| Years active | 2017–present |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 6 |
| Wins | 4 |
| By knockout | 4 |
| Losses | 2 |
| By knockout | 1 |
| By decision | 1 |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
Search Justin Tafa on Amazon.
Justin Tafa (born 13 December 1993) is a New Zealand mixed martial arts fighter of Samoan heritage, currently competing in the Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Early life[edit]
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[edit]
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[edit]
Early career[edit]
At the age of 23, Tafa began training MMA and achieved a record of 3–0 prior to being signed by the UFC.[9]
Ultimate Fighting Championship[edit]
Tafa made his promotional debut on 6 October 2019 at UFC 243 against Yorgan de Castro.[10] He lost the fight via knockout in the first round.[11]
For his second fight with the promotion, Tafa faced Juan Adams on 8 February 2020 at UFC 247.[12] He won the fight via TKO in the first round.[13]
Tafa was scheduled to face Raphael Pessoa on 25 July 2020 at UFC on ESPN 14.[14] However, he pulled out on 15 July due to unknown reasons and was replaced by Tanner Boser.[15]
Tafa faced Carlos Felipe on 16 January 2021 at UFC Fight Night: Holloway vs. Kattar.[16] He lost the back and forth bout via split decision.[17]
Tafa is scheduled to face Jared Vanderaa on May 22, 2021 at UFC Fight Night 190.[18]
Championships and achievements[edit]
Mixed martial arts[edit]
- Australian Xtreme Fighting Championship
- XFC Heavyweight Championship. (One Time)[9]
- One successful defense
- XFC Heavyweight Championship. (One Time)[9]
Mixed martial arts record[edit]
| Professional record breakdown | ||
| 6 matches | 4 wins | 2 losses |
| By knockout | 4 | 1 |
| By decision | 0 | 1 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 4–2 | Carlos Felipe | Decision (split) | UFC Fight Night: 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, Victoria, Australia | |
| Win | 3–0 | David Taumoepeau | TKO (punches) | Australian Xtreme Fighting Championship 41 | 24 May 2019 | 2 | 0:30 | Brisbane, Queensland, Australia | Defended the XFC Heavyweight Championship. |
| Win | 2–0 | Jeremy Joiner | TKO (punches) | Australian Xtreme Fighting Championship 36 | 28 July 2018 | 1 | 0:28 | Brisbane, Queensland, Australia | Won the XFC Heavyweight Championship. |
| Win | 1–0 | Dylan Tiaaleaiga | TKO (punches) | Australian Xtreme Fighting Championship 30 | 20 May 2018 | 2 | 3:35 | Brisbane, Queensland, Australia |
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ↑ "Stats | UFC". ufcstats.com. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
- ↑ Justin ‘Bad Man’ Tafa (@justin.tafa) (1 March 2019). ""Achieved something today that I set for myself since last year and received my blue belt from @croninedu (...)"". Instagram. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
- ↑ "Kiwi Justin Tafa's journey from NRL prospect to UFC heavyweight". Stuff.co.nz. 9 February 2020.
- ↑ "Kiwi Justin Tafa's journey from NRL prospect to UFC heavyweight". Stuff. 8 February 2020. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
- ↑ "UFC heavyweight Justin Tafa reveals why he quit Melbourne Storm to fight". dailytelegraph.com.au. 8 February 2020.
- ↑ "Big crowd jump for UFC newcomer Tafa – Nine Wide World of Sports". wwos.nine.com.au. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
- ↑ "Kiwi Justin Tafa's journey from NRL prospect to UFC heavyweight". Stuff. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
- ↑ France, Marvin (8 February 2020). "Kiwi Justin Tafa's journey from NRL prospect to UFC heavyweight". Stuff. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Justin Tafa announces UFC signing – Fight News Australia". Retrieved 9 February 2020.
- ↑ "Kiwi Justin Tafa's journey from NRL prospect to UFC heavyweight". Stuff.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ Heck, Mike (12 June 2020). "Justin Tafa vs. Raphael Pessoa set for UFC 'Fight Island' event July 25". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ DNA, MMA (14 October 2020). "Heavyweight partij tussen Justin Tafa en Carlos Felipe op 16 januari 2021". MMA DNA. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
- ↑ Jay Anderson (16 January 2021). "UFC Fight Island 7 Results: Heavyweight Slugfest Sees Carlos Felipe Get by Justin Tafa". cagesidepress. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
- ↑ DNA, MMA (2021-03-12). "Heavyweights Justin Tafa en Jared Vanderaa vechten op 22 mei tijdens UFC evenement". MMA DNA. Retrieved 2021-03-13.
- ↑ Sherdog.com. "Justin". Sherdog. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
External links[edit]
- "Justin Tafa". UFC.com.
- Professional MMA record for Justin Tafa from SherdogLua error in Module:WikidataCheck at line 23: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
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