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To face Spivak at UFC 243
Tuivasa (8-2-0) is set to square off against Sergey Spivac (9-1-0) at UFC 243 in Melbourne on October 5, Nolan King of MMAJunkie.com reports.
ANALYSIS
Tuivasa, currently ranked No. 13 in the UFC heavyweight division, is coming off a loss via unanimous decision at UFC 238 in Chicago. He struggled early in the fight and ultimately failed to get anything going. Look for him to attempt a quicker start when he steps in the Octagon across Spivac -- a fight he should be favored in.
Tuivasa, currently ranked No. 13 in the UFC heavyweight division, is coming off a loss via unanimous decision at UFC 238 in Chicago. He struggled early in the fight and ultimately failed to get anything going. Look for him to attempt a quicker start when he steps in the Octagon across Spivac -- a fight he should be favored in.
Does not appear up to the challenge
Tuivasa lost to Blagoy Ivanov via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27) at UFC 238 on Saturday in Chicago.
ANALYSIS
Tuivasa really struggled to get anything going in this fight. He threw some hard shots early. Those shots seemed to entirely deplete his gas tank. In the end, he was struggling to even make the final bell from a cardio perspective. Tuivasa started his UFC career with some hype, but now he looks like it might be a struggle to keep his job in the promotion.
Tuivasa really struggled to get anything going in this fight. He threw some hard shots early. Those shots seemed to entirely deplete his gas tank. In the end, he was struggling to even make the final bell from a cardio perspective. Tuivasa started his UFC career with some hype, but now he looks like it might be a struggle to keep his job in the promotion.
Booked for UFC 238
Tuivasa will face Blagoy Ivanov at UFC 238 on June 9, Nick Walshaw of The Daily Telegraph reports.
ANALYSIS
Tuivasa is coming off his first professional loss at UFC Fight Night 142 when Junior dos Santos won by TKO. Ivanov's most recent loss was also to dos Santos, which occurred at UFC Fight Night 133 and was decided by unanimous decision.
Tuivasa is coming off his first professional loss at UFC Fight Night 142 when Junior dos Santos won by TKO. Ivanov's most recent loss was also to dos Santos, which occurred at UFC Fight Night 133 and was decided by unanimous decision.
Suffers first career loss in main event spot
Tuivasa lost to Junior Dos Santos via TKO (punches) at 2:30 of Round 2 at UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Adelaide, Australia.
ANALYSIS
Tuivasa showed a ton of promise in his first main event spotlight, but the end result proved that he still has much to learn. Tai did plenty of damage to JDS in the early going, most notably a kick to the outside of Dos Santos' knee late in the frame. Yet after eating a big punch from his opponent in Round 2, Tuivasa foolishly engaged JDS further instead of focusing on defense and he paid for it with his first career loss. Tuivasa is 25 years old, legitimately talented, and very marketable. Better days are ahead for the young Aussie.
Tuivasa showed a ton of promise in his first main event spotlight, but the end result proved that he still has much to learn. Tai did plenty of damage to JDS in the early going, most notably a kick to the outside of Dos Santos' knee late in the frame. Yet after eating a big punch from his opponent in Round 2, Tuivasa foolishly engaged JDS further instead of focusing on defense and he paid for it with his first career loss. Tuivasa is 25 years old, legitimately talented, and very marketable. Better days are ahead for the young Aussie.
Locks in fight vs. Junior dos Santos
Tuivasa will fight Junior dos Santos at UFC Adelaide on Dec. 2.
ANALYSIS
Tuivasa has come out swinging since joining the UFC, currently sitting with an undefeated 3-0 record that includes knockout wins over Rashad Coulter and Cyril Asker. After receiving a six-fight extension following his most recent victory over Andrei Arlovski in June, rumors swirled that Tuivasa was set to see an uptick in competition. That will certainly be the case in December with a fight now scheduled against former UFC Heavyweight Champion Dos Santos. Tuivasa will enter the fight at a two-inch height and reach disadvantage, but he should have all the motivation in the world considering a victory versus Dos Santos would represent a major opportunity to take the next step towards a future title fight.
Tuivasa has come out swinging since joining the UFC, currently sitting with an undefeated 3-0 record that includes knockout wins over Rashad Coulter and Cyril Asker. After receiving a six-fight extension following his most recent victory over Andrei Arlovski in June, rumors swirled that Tuivasa was set to see an uptick in competition. That will certainly be the case in December with a fight now scheduled against former UFC Heavyweight Champion Dos Santos. Tuivasa will enter the fight at a two-inch height and reach disadvantage, but he should have all the motivation in the world considering a victory versus Dos Santos would represent a major opportunity to take the next step towards a future title fight.