Tai Tuivasa has been nothing, if not active.
When he takes on Sergey Pavlovich at UFC Orlando this weekend, it will be his fourth fight in the span of 12 months – a feat of its own as a top-level heavyweight.
It’s not surprising, then, that the Indigenous Australian star is aiming to take a step back from the chaos in 2023 – after he gets the job done on December 3rd, of course.
“I want to finish this year off with a bang, but I’m going to take some time off next year and let my body heel,” Tuivasa told ESPN in a recent interview. “I’ve been pretty active for the last two years. I’ve got a few niggles that need to be attended to, and I think it’s time that I go home and spend some time with my son.
“He’s six-years-old now, he’s growing up fast and he’s a very smart boy, he’s asking where dad is. So coming home; I’ve got a few businesses outside of the UFC and a few other ventures that I’m doing, which is all happening in December, I’ve got a few things on.”
Though he’ll not feature on the highly anticipated UFC 284 card in Perth, on the western shores of his home nation, ‘Bam Bam’ will certainly be in the building, and indeed, in the spirit.
“I will be blind with bells on,” he said. “And Drink West: how far west can we get than Western Australia? So there’s definitely going to be a few things planned; we’ve got Tyson [Pedro] on the card.
“But this one [against Pavlovich] about my family and about me. Of course, I would have loved to fight back home, I haven’t had a fight there in years, but while everyone’s been resting I’ve been getting my head punched in, so it’s time for a break.”
The AllStar MMA roundup
- Betting: Best Bets UFC Orlando: Holland vs. Thompson
- Inside Scoop: Roxanne Modafferi: Betting adds ‘extra flavor’ to UFC fights
The best of the rest
- Glover Teixeira planning to be in attendance at UFC 282 and challenge winner of Blachowicz vs Ankalaev – BJPenn.com
- Kayla Harrison disappointed with her PFL title fight: ‘I’m usually the person that digs deep and finds a way’ – MMAFighting.com
- Rafael dos Anjos probably done with lightweight, won’t be sad if Islam Makhachev fight never happens – MMAJunkie.com
- Jake Paul offers Paddy Pimblett new date for sparring session so ‘you will be back to your normal weight’ – MMAFighting.com
- Kevin Holland wants UFC fighters to get equal treatment: ‘Everyone should have a fair chance’ – MMAJunkie.com
The soapbox
Jake Paul offers Nate a proposition:
Alex Pereira shows off his indigenous grappling skills:
Aljo on PED-assisted recovery:
Triple C made a funny:
Bam Bam vs Bam Bam:
Tony Time:
Eddie Alvarez knew what was up with Liver King:
The morning view
JHK catches up with Pathy Mix ahead of Bellator 289:
Go behind the scenes with Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 281:
The Weasle reacts to Charles Oliveira turning down a rematch with Islam Makhachev:
Dan Hardy breaks down Solid vs Kamazanov for ONE Championship:
Done Deals
Thursday
- Steven Koslow to replace Ronnie Lawrance opposite Cameron Saaiman at UFC 282 on December 10th (per Nolan King)
Wednesday
- Abdul Razak Alhassan to fight Claudio Ribeiro at UFC Vegas 67 on January 14th (per Laerte Viana)
Tuesday
- None to note
Monday
- None to note
UFC Roster Watch
Fighters removed this week:
- Nate Diaz
Fighters Added this week:
- Francis Marshall
Credit to UFC Roster Watch
On this day in MMA…
On the 1st of December, 2017, Nicco Montaño became the inaugural UFC women’s flyweight champion at The Ultimate Fighter 26 Finale in Paradise, Nevada.
Montaño would face fellow TUF finalist Roxanne Modafferi in a five-round headline event to determine the winner of the season, who would go on to be crowned the Queen of the newly-introduced 125-pound women’s division. Montaño would ultimately win a unanimous decision on the judges’ scorecards after 25 minutes – however, she would be stripped of her title upon missing weight for her first defense.
Also of note on the card was ‘Suga’ Sean O’Malley’s UFC debut opposite Tyrion Ware.
