5 Things You Might Not Know About Justin Tafa

Justin Tafa still wants to prove he can excel at the highest levels of the Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight division.

The 31-year-old Australia-based Kiwi will draw his first assignment in nearly a year when he takes on the unbeaten Tallison Teixeira in a three-round UFC 312 showcase on Saturday at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney. Tafa has compiled a 4-4 record with one no contest across his nine outings with the company. He last suited up on March 23, when he wound up on the wrong side of a unanimous decision against Karl Williams at UFC on ESPN 53.

As Tafa makes final preparation for his upcoming battle with Teixeira, here are five things you might not know about him:

1. His was far from a traditional martial arts upbringing.

Tafa was born on Dec. 13, 1993 in Auckland, New Zealand—almost 6,800 miles away from Ultimate Fighting Championship headquarters in Las Vegas. He played for the Melbourne Storm in Australia’s National Rugby League before injuries ended his career and forced his transition to mixed martial arts.

2. He experienced a meteoric rise.

“Bad Man” struck gold in his second professional bout, as he captured the Xtreme Fighting Championships heavyweight crown with a 28-second technical knockout of Jeremy Joiner on July 28, 2018. Tafa retained the title in his next appearance, then signed with the UFC.

3. Not all has gone according to plan.

Tafa fell short of the mark in his Octagon debut, losing by knockout to Yorgan De Castro at UFC 243 in October 2019. It became clear from the start that neither man intended to go the distance. Tafa engaged his counterpart in the clinch and enjoyed moderate success before they separated. He then charged forward with his hands down and walked into a devastating counter right hook from De Castro. Tafa was out before he hit the canvas.

4. Heft has been a stumbling block.

The NTG Fight & Fitness rep made history of the ignominious kind when he checked in at 267 pounds ahead of his UFC Fight Night 299 clash with Harry Hunsucker. It marked the first time in the company’s history that a heavyweight failed to meet his contracted requirements on the scale. Tafa was fined a percentage of his purse, then proceeded to chop down Hunsucker with a head kick inside of two minutes.

5. His tale of the tape does not tell the full story.

Tafa, at 6-foot, has been at a height disadvantage in seven of his nine UFC appearances. The includes a six-inch disparity in his two-fight series with Austen Lane, who spent parts of five seasons in the NFL as a defensive end for the Jacksonville Jaguars, Kansas City Chiefs, Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears.