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Justin Tafa believes he is exactly where he should be.
The Kiwi heavyweight makes his UFC return this weekend on the pay-per-view main card at UFC 312 in Sydney against undefeated Brazilian slugger Tallison Teixeira. The bout is the table-setter for the two title fights on thecard and all indications are it will be a clash that fires the fans up.
It’s a clash that brings more risk than reward for Australian-based Tafa.
A year ago, the 31-year-old was preparing for his first shot at the UFC rankings after being booked to fight against then-No 15 Marcos Rogerio de Lima. But after having to pull out of that fight due to injury, dropping the next fight he took, then having to withdraw from another fight in October due to a separate injury, Tafa now finds himself as the welcoming committee for promotional newcomer Teixeira.
But it’s a position Tafa is comfortable to be in, given the trajectory of his career with the UFC so far.
Tafa joined the UFC in 2019 as a relative newcomer to mixed martial arts, with a 3-0 record and all of his wins by knockout. He made his debut at UFC 243 in Melbourne – a card that set the UFC attendance record with 57,127 fans in the stands at Marvel Stadium.
He was knocked out in the first round after being beaten to the punch in a heavy exchange.
He bounced back in his following contest – being on the right side of a first-round stoppage – before dropping his next two by decision.
But Tafa had established himself as a fan-friendly fighter, willing to stand 10 toes down and trade bombs with anyone standing across from him. He remained on the UFC’s books and at 3-1 in his last four completed fights – with another ending in a no-contest due to an eye poke – he is looking to re-establish himself as a heavyweight on the rise.
“I’m where I should be. I’ve had a lot of time to think about that,” Tafa said.
“Before, it was like ‘man, I should have been cracking the rankings’ but I came in with three fights – like, four rounds under my belt, fighting guys all around the world on main cards, they put me in the deep end quite quickly.
“I feel like I’m still on the up and I’ll show you guys on Sunday.”
Justin Tafa fought the last time the UFC was in Sydney, knocking out Austen Lane in 2023. Photo / Photosport.
Against Teixeira, Tafa - 1.83m tall with a 1.88m reach - will have to navigate a significant size disadvantage, with the Brazilian standing at 2.01m with a 2.11m reach.
The Brazilian’s heavy hands make the task of getting inside striking range all the more dangerous, with six of his seven wins coming by knockout and the other by submission.
However, a fight full of exchanges is just what Tafa hopes to drag his rival into.
“If [they’re] tall it’s always going to be a hard task, but it’s nothing I haven’t seen before. Height is only good if you can use it, and height’s only good if you can keep someone away,” Tafa said.
“I’ve been wanting a bloody war for a while. That’s what my heart desires; test this man’s soul and see if he wants to go to the depths that I want to go – but if a knockout comes, a knockout comes.“
Tafa will be one of three Kiwi connections on the Sydney card, with French welterweight Kevin Jousset and Chinese lightweight Rong Zhu, who train at Auckland’s City Kickboxing, making their returns to the octagon on the early prelims.
The early prelims (featuring Kevin Jousset and Rong Zhu) get under way from 12.30pm, live on the UFC’s stream platform – UFC Fight Pass.
The prelims begin at 2pm and will be on UFC Fight Pass, Sky Open, ESPN 2 and Sky Sport Now
The main card (featuring Justin Tafa) kicks off at 4pm and can be purchased for $44.95 on Sky Arena, Sky Sport Now and UFC Fight Pass.
What else is on the card?
UFC 312 will be headlined by two title fights.
In the main event, Dricus du Plessis will put his middleweight belt on the line against the man he took it from, Sean Strickland. Their first meeting was a split decision win for du Plessis in January last year, with the South African achieving his first successful defence in August against Israel Adesanya.
Prior to that, strawweight champion Weili Zhang will look to defend her title for a third time and claim her fifth win in a row when she meets undefeated challenger Tatiana Suarez.
The card is full of Australian talent, most of whom are relative newcomers to the promotion – although there are veterans in the form of Jake Matthews and Jimmy Crute. Outside of the title fights, only one bout does not include an Australian or New Zealand link.
