Athletes
The Best Of Tai Tuivasa
Relive Some Of Tuivasa’s Career Defining Moments On UFC FIGHT PASS Ahead Of His Clash With Jairzinho Rozenstruik At UFC 305: Du Plessis vs Adesanya In Perth, Western Australia
Over the last seven years, Australian heavyweight Tai Tuivasa has delivered endless entertainment inside the Octagon.
Despite starting his UFC career with back-to-back first-round finishes, Tuivasa's rise to fame took off in 2021, when he scored three consecutive knockout wins within a 10-month span.
Order UFC 305: Du Plessis vs Adesanya
Fans aren't only drawn to Tuivasa for his heavy hands, but what comes immediately after he puts his opponent to sleep. "Bam Bam" climbs on top of the Octagon wall for his iconic “Shoey" celebration where Tuivasa drinks a beer out of a shoe… literally.
Since his first UFC main event against Ciryl Gane, Tuivasa has struggled to maintain that level of success. He aims to turn his career back in the right direction with a win over Jairzinho Rozenstruik at UFC 305: Du Plessis vs Adesanya in Perth, Western Australia.
Before he returns to the Octagon this Saturday, revisit some of these memorable moments from “Bam Bam’s” career on UFC FIGHT PASS:
Tuivasa KO’s Derrick Lewis In Houston
UFC 271: Adesanya vs Whittaker 2 | February 12, 2022
Tuivasa kicked off his 2022 campaign against Derrick Lewis in “The Black Beast’s” hometown of Houston. Despite entering the arena to boos from the fans, Tuivasa’s walkout to “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” by Cyndi Lauper showed that the Australian didn’t fear the opponent standing across from him and was looking to put on a show.
Fight By Fight Preview | UFC 305: Du Plessis vs Adesanya
The first round didn’t go entirely to plan, however, with Lewis finding early success securing a takedown and landing vicious ground-and-pound. But Tuivasa weathered the storm and made it to the second round, when the tide shifted quickly.
Nearly a minute and a half into the round, Tuivasa loaded up on a heavy right hook, stunning Lewis up against the cage. Tuivasa clinched and landed a short elbow to put Lewis away.
Return Of The “Shoey”
UFC 264: Poirier vs McGregor 3 | July 10, 2021
Coming off three consecutive losses by the end of 2019, Tuivasa was looking to turn his career around in 2020. He did so by finishing his next two opponents, Stefan Struve and Harry Hunsucker, comfortably. But those wins weren’t followed by any creative celebrationsbecause of the regulations in place from the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, those two wins landed Tuivasa a featured bout on a Conor McGregor pay-per-view card. Tuivasa challenged the former NFL player turned mixed martial artist, Greg Hardy.
UFC 305 Embedded | All Episodes
The fight only lasted one minute and seven seconds, but both fighters came out swinging heavy leather. Hardy was the first to land a big shot, which wobbled “Bam Bam” momentarily, but Tuivasa came back with a left hook that dropped and finished Hardy just seconds later.
Back in front of a full crowd at T-Mobile arena, Tuivasa jumped on top of the cage, was thrown a shoe and a beer, and celebrated in front of the Las Vegas crowd the best way he knows how. Given the magnitude of the event, this win and celebration, launched his rise to superstardom.
Buzzer Beater Knockout On Fight Island
UFC 254: Khabib vs Gaethje | October 24, 2020
Taking a full year off from competition after his third straight defeat in 2019, Tuivasa returned to the Octagon at Fight Island in Abu Dhabi in October of 2020. “Bam Bam” faced Stefan Struve, a tall task for anyone in the heavyweight division—no pun intended. The near seven-foot-tall Struve desperately needed a win as well, so it was the perfect matchup for both athletes to try and put their careers on a positive trajectory.
Knowing he needed to control the range against Struve, Tuivasa initiated the clinch early in the round. Landing knees and heavy punches to the body, “Bam Bam” was tallying up strikes and getting ahead on the scorecards.
After blasting numerous leg kicks, Tuivasa clinched for the final time, marking the beginning of the end for Struve. Landing a giant uppercut, Tuivasa sent Struve to the mat, finishing the fight with only one second to spare in the first round.
Welcome To The UFC
UFC Fight Night: Werdum vs Tybura | November 19, 2017
“Bam Bam” was fortunate enough to start his UFC career in his native Sydney, Australia at UFC Fight Night: Werdum vs Tybura, fighting against Rashad Coulter. Right from the start of the fight, you could tell that Tuivasa was not only a hard-hitting heavyweight that can get into fun performances for fans, but that he had a wide variety of skills that showed how much potential he had for only being 24 years old and in his seventh professional bout.
As time passed in the first round, Tuivasa found his rhythm and landed a debilitating leg kick that dropped Coulter for a moment. But the second he found his way to his feet, Tuivasa landed a flying knee, knocking out Coulter.
His debut showcased one of his most memorable knockouts in his career, as well as giving the heavyweight division a preview for what was to come with a few more years of experience under his belt.
UFC 305: Du Plessis vs Adesanya took place live from RAC Arena in Perth, Western Australia on August 17, 2024. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
