Justin Tafa

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.

Justin Tafa
Born (1993-12-13) 13 December 1993
Auckland, New Zealand
Other namesBad Man
ResidenceBrisbane, Queensland, Australia
Nationality
  • New Zealander
Height185 cm (6 ft 1 in)
Weight120 kg (265 lb; 18 st 13 lb)
Reach188 cm (74 in)
Fighting out ofBrisbane, Queensland, Australia
RankBlue belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Patrick Cronin[1]
Years active2017–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total6
Wins4
By knockout4
Losses2
By knockout1
By decision1
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

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.[2] He is the brother of kickboxer Junior Tafa. His first sporting interest was rugby league.

Rugby league career

He played for the Marist Saints in the junior Auckland Rugby League[3] and was signed to the Melbourne Storm.[4][5] Tafa's athletic career began in rugby league, and he was signed to the Melbourne Storm.[4][5]

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

At the age of 23, Tafa began training MMA and achieved a record of 3–0 prior to being signed by the UFC.[6]

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Tafa made his promotional debut on 6 October 2019 at UFC 243 against Yorgan de Castro.[7] He lost the fight via knockout in the first round.[8]

For his second fight with the promotion, Tafa faced Juan Adams on 8 February 2020 at UFC 247.[9] He won the fight via TKO in the first round.[10]

Tafa was scheduled to face Raphael Pessoa on 25 July 2020 at UFC on ESPN 14.[11] However, he pulled out on 15 July due to unknown reasons and was replaced by Tanner Boser.[12]

Tafa faced Carlos Felipe on 16 January 2021 at UFC Fight Night: Holloway vs. Kattar.[13] He lost the back and forth bout via split decision.[14]

Championships and achievements

Mixed martial arts
  • Australian Xtreme Fighting Championship
    • XFC Heavyweight Championship. (One Time)[6]
      • One successful defense

Mixed martial arts record
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

[15]

See also

References
  1. 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.
  2. "Kiwi Justin Tafa's journey from NRL prospect to UFC heavyweight". Stuff.co.nz. 9 February 2020.
  3. "UFC heavyweight Justin Tafa reveals why he quit Melbourne Storm to fight". dailytelegraph.com.au. 8 February 2020.
  4. "Big crowd jump for UFC newcomer Tafa – Nine Wide World of Sports". wwos.nine.com.au. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
  5. "Kiwi Justin Tafa's journey from NRL prospect to UFC heavyweight". Stuff. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
  6. "Justin Tafa announces UFC signing – Fight News Australia". Retrieved 9 February 2020.
  7. "Kiwi Justin Tafa's journey from NRL prospect to UFC heavyweight". Stuff.
  8. 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.
  9. 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.
  10. 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.
  11. Heck, Mike (12 June 2020). "Justin Tafa vs. Raphael Pessoa set for UFC 'Fight Island' event July 25". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
  12. 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.
  13. DNA, MMA (14 October 2020). "Heavyweight partij tussen Justin Tafa en Carlos Felipe op 16 januari 2021". MMA DNA. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  14. Jay Anderson (16 January 2021). "UFC Fight Island 7 Results: Heavyweight Slugfest Sees Carlos Felipe Get by Justin Tafa". cagesidepress. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  15. Sherdog.com. "Justin". Sherdog. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
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