Justin Tafa is a MMA fighter originating from New Zealand. Nicknamed “Bad Man”, he competes in the Heavyweight Division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
Born in Auckland, New Zealand on December 13, 1993, Justin Tafa initially played rugby for the Marist Saints before becoming a MMA fighter. His UFC debut resulted in a loss against Yorgan De Castro at UFC 243: Whittaker vs Adesanya on October 5, 2019. However, he has since then won Fight of the Night once in the UFC, albeit losing the fight. Justin Tafa has slowly been proving himself in the UFC with an undefeated winning streak until his most recent fight ended in a No-Contest. He has proved himself to be a worthy challenger inside the Octagon for his opponents. Justin Tafa looks to improve his MMA fighting skills so that he can become a top fighter in the UFC.
Bad Man has gained a MMA record of 9 fights in his career till now. Having won 6 fights by knockout, he lost 3 fights (1 by knockout and 2 by submission). Nevertheless, his other fight ended in a no-contest. A rematch of that fight will happen when Justin Tafa will lock horns with Austen Lane again at UFC 293: Adesanya vs Strickland on September 10, 2023.
Relation Between Justin Tafa and Junior Tafa
Junior Tafa, nicknamed “The Juggernaut” is related to Justin Tafa. He is the brother of Justin Tafa who recently came into the Heavyweight division of the UFC.
Born in Avondale, New Zealand on September 21, 1996, Junior Tafa initially was a kickboxer at Glory before becoming a MMA fighter. Just like his brother, he lost his first UFC fight against Mohammed Usman at UFC Fight Night: Pavlovich vs Blaydes on April 22, 2023. Nevertheless, he won Performance of the Night once at UFC. The Juggernaut has proven to be a good MMA fighter like his brother and has the potential to go far in the business.
The Juggernaut is a newcomer to the world of MMA having fought only 6 times till now. Despite this, he won 5 fights by knockout and lost 1 fight by decision. His most recent fight was against Parker Porter at UFC Fight Night: Holloway vs The Korean Zombie on August 26, 2023. He defeated his opponent via KO/TKO with a punch in 1 minute 24 seconds of Round 1, thereby winning his first Performance of the Night in the UFC.
Junior Tafa’s Best Fights Before the UFC
The Juggernaut had an undefeated winning streak before his arrival to the UFC. Here are some of his best fights from that time.
Junior Tafa vs Taisei Sekino
These two clashed at BP1 - Beatdown Promotions 1 on July 9, 2022 in Queensland, Australia. Tafa defeated Sekino via KO/TKO by punches in 1 minute 6 seconds of Round 1.
Junior Tafa vs Kelvin Fitial
This fight took place at HFS - Hex Fight Series 23 on August 5, 2022 in Melbourne, Australia. The Juggernaut ended The Big Hit via KO/TKO by punches in 4 minutes 36 seconds of Round 2.
Junior Tafa vs Tsuyoshi Kamiyama
Junior Tafa locked horns with Tusyoshi Kamiyama at Rizin FF- Rizin 40: Bellator MMA vs Rizin at Saitama, Japan. Tafa ended Kamiyama via KO/TKO by punches in 1 minute 38 seconds of Round 1.
FAQs
A. Bad Man and The Juggernaut are brothers.
A. Justin Tafa relies on the Southpaw stance. His brother Junior Tafa uses the Orthodox stance.
A. Junior Tafa has a MMA record of 5-1-0.
A. Junior Tafa won his last fight against Parker Porter and earned his first Performance of the Night in the UFC.
A. Justin Tafa and Austen Lane will have their rematch at UFC 293: Adesanya vs Strickland on September 10, 2023.
