Tai Tuivasa

Tai Tuivasa (born March 16, 1993) is an Australian mixed martial arts fighter currently competing in the Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Tai Tuivasa
Tai Tuivasa at UFC 234
Born (1993-03-16) 16 March 1993
Sydney, Australia
Other namesBam Bam
Shoeyvasa[1]
ResidenceSt. Marys, Australia
NationalityAustralian
Height6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight265 lb (120 kg; 18 st 13 lb)
DivisionHeavyweight
Reach75 in (190 cm)
TeamTiger Muay Thai and MMA
American Kickboxing Academy[2]
Years active2012–present
Professional boxing record
Total7
Wins5
By knockout3
Losses2
Kickboxing record
Total16
Wins14
By knockout10
Losses2
By knockout1
Mixed martial arts record
Total13
Wins10
By knockout9
By decision1
Losses3
By knockout1
By submission1
By decision1
Other information
Boxing record from BoxRec
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Early life

Tuivasa was born in Sydney to an Indigenous Australian (Wiradjuri) mother, and a Samoan father. He grew up in the western Sydney suburb of Mt Druitt with 11 siblings.[3][4] and predominantly played rugby league in his youth. He was signed by the professional Sydney Roosters rugby league club in 2010 but gave up playing the sport when he developed a gambling addiction.[5]

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Tuivasa made his professional MMA debut in August 2012 in his native Australia. He fought sporadically over the next four years, with all of his wins ending in knockouts.[6]

Tuivasa also fought a couple MMA mixed rules bouts with Combat 8 promotions. Tuivasa fought Australian former rugby league representative John Hopoate on December 1, 2012 in the Newcastle Panthers FC arena at Combat 8:02, the second Combat 8 event, winning the fight by TKO.[7] Tuivasa later fought kickboxer Peter Graham at Combat 8:03, in a back and forth brawl that seemed as if Tuivasa would finish his opponent early on. Yet as the fight went on, Graham rallied and Tuivasa tired, leading to an eventual loss for Tuivasa via TKO in the second round due to punches.[8][9]

Ultimate Fighting Championship

In November 2016, it was announced that Tuivasa had signed a four-fight contract with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. According to Tuivasa, he had to sit out an extended period due to a knee injury and subsequent surgery.[10]

Tuivasa would make his UFC debut against Rashad Coulter on 19 November 2017 at UFC Fight Night: Werdum vs. Tybura.[11] Tuivasa won the fight via knockout due to a flying knee in the first round and became the first indigenous Australian to win a UFC fight.[12] This win also earned him the Performance of the Night bonus.[13]

Tuivasa faced Cyril Asker on 11 February 2018 at UFC 221.[14] He won the fight via technical knock out in the first round.[15] On 13 February 2018 Tuivasa entered the UFC's official rankings for heavyweight fighters, coming in at position 15.[16]

In March 2018, Tuivasa signed a new, four-fight contract with UFC.[17] Tuivasa faced Andrei Arlovski on 9 June 2018 at UFC 225.[18] He won the fight by unanimous decision.[19]

Tuivasa faced Junior dos Santos on 2 December 2018 at UFC Fight Night 142.[20] He lost the fight via technical knockout in round two.[21]

Tuivasa faced Blagoy Ivanov on 8 June 2019 at UFC 238.[22] He lost the fight via unanimous decision.[23]

Tuivasa faced Sergey Spivak on 6 October 2019 at UFC 243.[24] He lost the fight via arm-triangle choke in the second round.[25]

Tuivasa was scheduled to face Jarjis Danho on 6 June 2020 at UFC 251.[26] However, on April 9, Dana White, the president of UFC announced that this event was postponed to a future date.[27]

Tuivasa faced Stefan Struve on 24 October 2020 at UFC 254.[28] He won the fight via knockout in the first round.[29]

Tuivasa is scheduled to face Don'Tale Mayes on March 20, 2021 at UFC Fight Night 188.[30]

Championships and accomplishments

Personal life

Tuivasa is married to the sister of UFC light heavyweight fighter Tyson Pedro.[32][33]

Tuivasa currently hosts "The Halfcast Podcast" with Tyson Pedro as co-host.[34][35][36]

Tuivasa's moniker "Shoeyvasa" was coined by Sydney The Daily Telegraph newspaper after Tuivasa drinking beer from two fans' shoes after he won the bout against Andrei Arlovski at UFC 225.[1][37]

Mixed martial arts record
Professional record breakdown
13 matches 10 wins 3 losses
By knockout 9 1
By submission 0 1
By decision 1 1
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Win 10–3 Stefan Struve KO (punches) UFC 254 24 October 2020 1 4:59 Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Loss 9–3 Sergey Spivak Technical Submission (arm-triangle choke) UFC 243 6 October 2019 2 3:14 Melbourne, Australia
Loss 9–2 Blagoy Ivanov Decision (unanimous) UFC 238 8 June 2019 3 5:00 Chicago, Illinois, United States
Loss 9–1 Junior dos Santos TKO (punches) UFC Fight Night: dos Santos vs. Tuivasa 2 December 2018 2 2:30 Adelaide, Australia
Win 9–0 Andrei Arlovski Decision (unanimous) UFC 225 9 June 2018 3 5:00 Chicago, Illinois, United States
Win 8–0 Cyril Asker TKO (punches and elbows) UFC 221 11 February 2018 1 2:18 Perth, Western Australia
Win 7–0 Rashad Coulter KO (flying knee) UFC Fight Night: Werdum vs. Tybura 19 November 2017 1 4:35 Sydney, Australia Performance of the Night.
Win 6–0 James McSweeney TKO (corner stoppage) Australian Fighting Championship 17 15 October 2016 1 5:00 Melbourne, Australia Defended the AFC Heavyweight Championship.
Win 5–0 Brandon Sololi KO (elbow) Australian Fighting Championship 16 18 June 2016 1 0:21 Melbourne, Australia Won the AFC Heavyweight Championship.
Win 4–0 Gul Pohatu TKO (punches) Urban Fight Night 5 12 December 2015 1 0:44 Liverpool, Australia
Win 3–0 Erik Nosa TKO (punches) Gladiators Cage Fighting: Gladiators 3 9 November 2012 1 0:28 Sydney, Australia
Win 2–0 Aaron Nieborak TKO (punches) Gladiators Cage Fighting: Gladiators 2 31 August 2012 1 N/A Sydney, Australia
Win 1–0 Simon Osborne TKO (punches) Elite Cage Championships 2 6 July 2012 1 N/A Sydney, Australia

[38]

Professional boxing record
Professional record summary
7 fights 5 wins 2 losses
By knockout 3 0
By decision 1 2
By disqualification 1 0

[39]

No. Result Record Opponent Type Round, time Date Location Notes
7 Lose 5–2 Demsey McKean UD 3 15 April 2016 The Melbourne Pavilion, Flemington, Victoria, Australia Frank Bianco Cup Eight Man Heavyweight tournament Final
6 Win 5–1 David Tuitupou UD 3 Frank Bianco Cup Eight Man Heavyweight tournament Semi Final
5 Win 4–1 Hamad Alloush TKO 2, (3)
1:33		 Frank Bianco Cup Eight Man Heavyweight tournament Quarter Final
4 Lose 3–1 Michael Kirby UD 3 3 April 2014 Eight man heavyweight tournament final
3 Win 3–0 Willie Nasio TKO 1, (3)
2:00		 Eight man heavyweight tournament Semi final
2 Win 2–0 Brett Smith DQ 1, (3)
3:00		 Eight man heavyweight tournament Quarter final
1 Win 1–0 Nathan McKay KO 3, (4)
2:57		 13 December 2013 Olympic Park Sports Centre, Homebush, New South Wales, Australia Professional debut

Kickboxing record (Incomplete)
Kickboxing record
14 wins, 2 losses
[lower-alpha 1]
DateResultOpponentEventLocationMethodRoundTime
2014-10-16Loss Ismael LazaarGFC Heavyweight Tournament, Semi Finals[40]Dubai, UAETKO (Punches and Knees)21:32

Legend:   Win   Loss   Draw/No contest   Notes

MMA Mixed Rules record
Professional record breakdown
2 matches 1 win 1 loss
By knockout 1 1
By submission 0 0
By decision 0 0
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Loss 1–1 Peter Graham TKO (punches) Combat8:03 27 April 2013 2 2:55 Big Top Sydney, Newcastle, Australia
Win 1–0 John Hopoate TKO (punches) Combat8:02 1 December 2012 1 1:40 Wests City, Newcastle, Australia

[41][42]

Notes
  1. Tuivasa's kickboxing record was announced at the beginning of his bout with Ismael Lazaar.[40]

References
  1. Lamberton, Richard (10 June 2018). "UFC 225 Chicago: Robert Whittaker defeats Yoel Romero in fight of the year; 'Shoeyvasa' returns". The Daily Telegraph.
  2. "Tai Tuivasa started training at the AKA gym in California". Retrieved 6 March 2020.
  3. Tai Tuivasa: The cage or a prison cell
  4. ‘Trying to pay back my heart’: Aussie UFC fighter Tai Tuivasa’s path to redemption
  5. "Gambling addiction that prompted star to quit NRL". Retrieved 19 November 2017.
  6. Sherdog.com. "Tai". Sherdog. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
  7. http://www.fightnewsaustralia.com/combat8-02-main-event-tai-tuivasa-vs-john-hopoate-video/
  8. "Cage Warriors 54 Results". Universal Combat News. 4 May 2013. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  9. Davies, Ryan (14 November 2017). "Welcome to the UFC: Tai Tuivasa and Nadia Kassem". Bloody Elbow. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  10. Alex Oates (5 August 2017). "UFC: Sydney heavyweight Tai Tuivasa slated to fight American Rashad Coulter in November". couriermail.com.au. Retrieved 14 August 2017.
  11. "Gone in 96 seconds: UFC rookie's record". Retrieved 12 October 2017.
  12. Former Sydney Roosters player Tai Tuivasa delivers spectacular KO on UFC debut
  13. Mazique, Brian. "UFC Fight Night 121 Werdum Vs. Tybura Results: Bonus Winners, Highlights, Analysis, Attendance, Gate". Forbes. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
  14. "UFC fighters ducking Aussie phenom". Retrieved 15 December 2017.
  15. "UFC 221 results: Tai Tuivasa destroys Cyril Asker with first-round TKO". MMAjunkie. 11 February 2018. Retrieved 11 February 2018.
  16. Tai Tuivasa breaks into UFC heavyweight rankings
  17. Helwani, Ariel (21 March 2018). "Tai Tuivasa signs new four-fight contract with UFC". mmafighting.com.
  18. Helwani, Ariel (16 March 2018). "Andrei Arlovski vs. Tai Tuivasa slated for UFC 225". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
  19. "UFC 225 results: Tai Tuivasa bloodied, battered, but outslugs Andrei Arlovski over three rounds". MMAjunkie. 10 June 2018. Retrieved 10 June 2018.
  20. "Junior Dos Santos vs Tai Tuivasa set to headline UFC Adelaide". | BJPenn.com. 30 August 2018. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
  21. Straus, Mike. "UFC Adelaide Results: Junior dos Santos Overwhelms Tai Tuivasa With Strikes". www.lowkickmma.com. Retrieved 2 December 2018.
  22. Nick Walshaw (22 March 2017). "Australian Tai Tuivasa will face Blagoy Ivanov at UFC 238 in Chicago". news.com.au. Retrieved 22 March 2019.
  23. "UFC 238 results: Blagoy Ivanov outslugs Tai Tuivasa for decision win". MMA Junkie. 9 June 2019. Retrieved 9 June 2019.
  24. DNA, MMA. "Tuivasa vs. Spivak en Kassem vs. Kim toegevoegd aan UFC 243 in Melbourne". Retrieved 24 July 2019.
  25. "UFC 243 results: Serghei Spivac chokes out Tai Tuivasa to silence rowdy Australian crowd". MMA Fighting. 5 October 2019. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
  26. "Tai Tuivasa vs. Jarjis Danho official for UFC 251 in Perth – Fight News Australia". Retrieved 7 March 2020.
  27. Brett Okamoto (9 April 2020). "Dana White says UFC 249 will not happen April 18". espn.com. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
  28. Staff (24 September 2020). "Stefan Struve faces Tai Tuivasa at UFC 254". mmadna.nl. Retrieved 24 September 2020. (in Dutch)
  29. Anderson, Jay (24 October 2020). "UFC 254 Results: Tai Tuivasa Crumples Stefan Struve with Uppercut". Cageside Press. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  30. Farah Hannoun and Nolan King (20 January 2021). "Tai Tuivasa vs. Don'Tale Mayes added to UFC Fight Night on March 20". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  31. "Dream of love, and success will come (pp32-34)" (PDF). AIATSIS - The Koori Mail. p. 33. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
  32. "UFC 209: Tyson Pedro out to hit it hard in Las Vegas, just like the man he was named after, Mike Tyson". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 21 April 2017.
  33. "Tai Tuivasa to join UFC on four-fight deal and will fight in heavyweight division". Herald Sun. Retrieved 21 April 2017.
  34. The halfcast podcast (30 October 2017), The Halfcast Podcast #1, retrieved 24 December 2017
  35. The halfcast podcast (23 November 2017), The Halfcast Podcast #2, retrieved 24 December 2017
  36. The halfcast podcast (7 December 2017), The Halfcast Podcast #3, retrieved 24 December 2017
  37. "Australia's Whittaker gets split decision at UFC, Tuivasa skols a shoey after undercard win". ABC News. 10 June 2018. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
  38. Sherdog.com. "Tai". Sherdog. Retrieved 6 October 2019.
  39. "Tai Tuivasa". Boxrec. Retrieved 7 October 2017.
  40. "♦♦ Ismael Lazaar vs Tai Tuivasa ♦♦ 16-10-'14 ♦♦ ᴴᴰ". Retrieved 15 August 2018.
  41. "Peter Graham proves too good for Tai Tuivasa". Universal Combat News. 28 April 2013. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  42. Combat 8 (19 March 2013), Combat8:02 - Tai Tuivasa vs John Hopoate, retrieved 22 February 2019
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