Tai Tuivasa doesn’t appear to be stepping away, even after another tough outing in the Octagon.
‘Bam Bam’ hasn’t found much success since his 2022 knockout win over Derrick Lewis, which briefly put him at No. 3 in the UFC heavyweight rankings.
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Heading into Saturday’s UFC Perth card, the Australian had lost six straight. And his decision defeat to Tallison Teixeira at UFC 325 was his first appearance of 2026.
Tuivasa spoke to Daniel Cormier after losing a one-sided contest against Jairzinho Rozenstruik on home soil and was later asked about those comments during the post-fight press conference.
Photo by Amy Kaplan/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Tuivasa opens up after loss at UFC Perth
Tuivasa was one of the more familiar names on the UFC Perth lineup, joining several other Australians in setting the stage for Jack Della Maddalena’s headline bout against Carlos Prates.
He continued to struggle with takedown defence, something that’s been a recurring issue during his recent losing streak.
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Sutherland made good use of those opportunities, controlling much of the fight on the ground and winning by three 30-26 scorecards. The English heavyweight had been unranked and without a win in two UFC appearances before stepping into the Octagon for this one.
The result drew questions about whether Tuivasa should continue fighting, but he seems determined to keep going. He shared a message on social media after the loss, saying he plans to return to training and work his way back from yet another setback.
Before those two losses, Tuivasa also suffered defeats against Jairzinho Rozenstruik, Marcin Tybura, Alexander Volkov, Sergei Pavlovich and Ciryl Gane.
“SORRY 😞 I tried I felt good I put in the work didn’t get result. I feel like a s— c— let my fans down again. Back to the drawing board for me. C— of a sport,” Tuivasa wrote on Instagram soon after exiting the cage in Perth.
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“BUT I WILL NEVER GIVE UP IM FROM WESTERN SYDNEY YOU GOTTA PUT ME OUT FOR ME TO GIVE UP.
“Sorry all my loyal fans I really am and to my team love yahs 🫡❤️”
Back then he was one of MMA’s most exciting rising stars. These days ‘Bam Bam’ is simply trying to get back in the win column.
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