UFC 243: Whittaker vs. Adesanya - Predictions and Picks

#3 Tai Tuivasa vs. Sergey Spivak

It's hard to imagine anything but a Tai Tuivasa knockout win this weekend

It’s obvious for a number of reasons why this fight is on the main card – Tai Tuivasa is fighting at home, is one of the most charismatic fighters on the roster, and is likely to win by knockout – but it’s also a pointer to the lack of depth on show here. ‘Bam Bam’ was last seen in a pretty slow-paced loss to Blagoy Ivanov, while the less said about the UFC debut of Sergey Spivak, the better.

‘The Polar Bear’ made his UFC debut back in May against Walt Harris, and although he was bringing in a record of 9-0, his pre-UFC opposition was hardly anything to talk about and he lasted just 50 seconds with Harris before ‘The Big Ticket’ dispatched of him with a series of rapid, violent punches.

Harris is admittedly climbing the Heavyweight ladder pretty quickly right now – he looked excellent in his KO win over Alexei Oleinik earlier this year – but he’s also a somewhat limited fighter whose main strengths are the fact that he hits very hard and his raw athleticism, something that allows him to move a little quicker than your run-of-the-mill Heavyweight. Does that sound like anyone else, essentially a certain Australian who loves to drink from a shoe? Exactly.

For me this looks like a squash match – like Tuivasa’s fight with Cyril Asker in early 2018 – as ‘Bam Bam’ appears to have the advantage in all areas, from the power in his punches to the explosive nature that belies a flabby physique. It’d be nice if Tuivasa shows some improvements in this fight – namely a more varied striking game, better clinch work and improved cardio – but I’d also be very surprised if he needs anything outside of those heavy hands.

The Pick: Tuivasa via first round KO