Tuivasa eyes patient win

TAI Tuivasa says he is now a completely different fighter to the guy who lost via a TKO to Junior dos Santos in 2018, saying “I thought I was the man back then”.

On a run of four straight UFC victories, Tuivasa takes on the biggest challenge of his career at UFC 271 – facing American cult favourite Derrick Lewis in his Houston backyard today.

Since the dos Santos result– his first UFC defeat – Tuivasa then dropped two more fights before re-emerging on his current run of highlight-reel wins.

Asked what he learnt from the dos Santos bout, the Sydney heavyweight said: “I wasn’t prepared for that fight. I thought I was the man back then.

“But what happened, it’s made me a much better fighter now.

“Obviously with my nature, I want to get in there, win, get it done. But I’ve also matured.

“Before, I used to rush things. Go look for the finish. But I know more about the sport now. And I know I have (the power) … it’s just about waiting for the right time.”

In other news from the UFC 271 card, Robert Whittaker looks set to create a TAB record as one of the bestbacked Australian fighters ever.