TAFA ON UFC MISSION
ONLY a fortnight ago, Justin Tafa was supposed to fly back into Queensland and finish preparations for his most-important UFC fight.
“But then they said I’d have to quarantine for 14 days,” he said.
It was a problem given the Brisbane slugger was leaving for Las Vegas in nine days. Worse, Tafa had only just flown out of his home state for Melbourne some 24 hours earlier.
“To get a visa,” he said. “I’d already tried to get it done in Sydney, but couldn’t. Same with Perth. So that’s why I ended up flying to Melbourne.”
It was a far from ideal preparation for Sunday’s final UFC card of the year, where Tafa faces bulky American Harry Hunsucker in the most important fight of a fledgling career that is chock full of promise. Currently, however, the Aussie is on a run of two-straight losses and has dropped three of his past four.
“So winning is vital,” he said. When told he could d no longer head back home to Brisbane, and his gym, coachaches and training partners rs a fortnight back, the e Brisbane puncher r made the snap decision to fly into Sydney y instead.
Then from there, e, driving 90 minutes north orth to Newcastle and the e current training base of his is younger brother Junior. Little brother gave Tafa the perfect final sparring sessions he required.
“So I’m ready,” he says.
Tafa is determined to overhaul that UFC record which boasts just one win from his first four Octagon appearances.
Many believe however that Tafa won a contentious split decision against Carlos Ca Felipe in January, before then breaking his hanhand in round one of a narrowna decision loss to Jaredj Vanderaa in May. Tafa comes into Sunday’s fight inspired by the recent turn in fortunes of close mate and regular training partner Tai Tuivasa – who now on a run of four KO wins after himself losing three in a row.
Mt Druitt slugger Tuivasa two fights ago knocked Hunsucker cold in 49 seconds.
“You look at Tai, he was on a skid of three losses,” he said. “But he remained confident that better days were ahead. And now he’s just won his fourth straight. Every one of them by KO, too. So I’ve taken motivation from that. Obviously my record isn’t looking as good as it should. But there are UFC champions right now who have come back from bad records.
“I came into the UFC with three fights. And they’d lasted three rounds. “So I’m learning as I go.” Asked what he expected of Hunsucker, Tafa added: “I’m not going to chase the knockout. But if he throws recklessly like against Tai I will try to sleep him. But if not, I’ve gone the distance my last two fights and I know he hasn’t, so I might as well use that to my advantage.
“Obviously he might have been getting away with that style here in the United States, but we’re a different breed from Down Under.”