Heavyweight

Justin

"Bad Man"

Tafa

L KO
Tafa
VS
OPPONENT
Tallison Teixeira
KO/TKO Elbow
February 08, 2025
L UD
Tafa
VS
OPPONENT
Karl Williams
U-DEC
March 23, 2024
W KO
Tafa
VS
OPPONENT
Austen Lane
KO/TKO Punch
September 09, 2023
D DEC
Tafa
VS
OPPONENT
Austen Lane
CNC
June 24, 2023
W KO
Tafa
VS
OPPONENT
Parker Porter
KO/TKO Punch
February 11, 2023
7
WINS
5
LOSSES
0
DRAWS
AGE
32
HEIGHT
183 cm
WEIGHT
119.7 kg
REACH
188 cm
LEG REACH
40 cm
COUNTRY
New Zealand

UFC HISTORY & CAREER

• UFC 312(2/8/25) Tafa was stopped by Tallison Teixeira via strikes at :35 of the first round
• UFC on ESPN(3/23/24) Tafa lost a three round unanimous decision to Karl Williams
• UFC 293(9/9/23) Tafa stopped Austen Lane via strikes at 1:22 of the first round
• UFC on ABC(6/24/23) Tafa’s bout with Austen Lane was ruled a no contest at :29 of the first round due to an accidental eye poke rendered Tafa unable to continue
• UFC 284(2/11/23) Tafa knocked out Parker Porter at 1:06 of the first round
• UFC Fight Night(12/18/21) Tafa knocked out Harry Hunsucker at 1:53 of the first round
• UFC Fight Night(5/22/21) Tafa lost a three round unanimous decision to Jared Vanderaa
• UFC Fight Night(1/16/21) Tafa lost a three round split decision to Carlos Felipe
• UFC 247(2/8/20) Tafa stopped Juan Adams via strikes at 1:59 of the first round
• UFC 243(10/5/19) Tafa was knocked out by Yorgan De Castro at 2:10 of the first round

IMPORTANT FACTS

Pro since 2017
Seven wins by KO
Is 3-2, 1 NC in his last six
Five first round finishes
Origin of nickname: “It was given to me by followers always reacting with, ‘You’re a Bad Man.’”

Q & A

Q: When and why did you start training for fighting?
ANSWER: Nine years ago. Fighting runs through many generations in my family.
Q: Training:
ANSWER: Morning strength and conditioning, rest, afternoon/evening fight-specific training. Sunday - rest day
Q: What ranks and titles have you held?
ANSWER: Blue belt in BJJ
Q: Do you have any heroes?
ANSWER: Mark Hunt, David Tua
Q: What does it mean for you to fight in the UFC?
ANSWER: It means I can see how great I can become and can also represent my family and country.
Q: What was your job before you started fighting?
ANSWER: Youth worker at a Homeless Shelter.
Q: Favorite grappling technique:
ANSWER: Armbar
Q: Favorite Striking technique:
ANSWER: Uppercut

STRIKING ANALYSIS

STRIKING ACCURACY54%
STRIKING DEFENSE47%
LANDED/MIN
4.05
STRIKES PER MINUTE
ABSORBED/MIN
5.11
STRIKES ABSORBED PER MINUTE

GRAPPLING & WRESTLING

TAKEDOWN ACCURACY0%
TAKEDOWN DEFENSE53%
TAKEDOWNS/FIGHT
0
15 MIN AVERAGE
SUBMISSIONS/FIGHT
0
15 MIN AVERAGE

GENERAL ANALYSIS

UFC RECORD
4 W - 5 L
ACTIVE STREAK
-2 Losses
WIN BREAKDOWN
Knockout (KO)4
Submission0
Decision0
LOSS BREAKDOWN
Knockout (KO)2
Submission0
Decision3
FIGHTING STYLE Striker
STANCE Southpaw
UFC DEBUT Oct. 5, 2019