Junior_Tafa

Junior Tafa

Junior Tafa

New Zealand-born Australian kickboxer and boxer

Junior Tafa (born 21 September 1996) is an Australian mixed martial artist and former professional kickboxer and boxer who currently competes in the Heavyweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

Quick Facts Born, Nickname ...

Background

Junior Tafa is the brother of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) heavyweight, Justin Tafa.

Kickboxing career

Tafa participated in the 2018 Glory four man heavyweight tournament, alongside D'Angelo Marshall, Guto Inocente and Benjamin Adegbuyi.[1] Tafa lost his semi-final fight to Inocente, but advanced due to Inocente suffering a cut during their bout.[2] In the finals he met Benjamin Adegbuyi. Adegbuyi focused on landing leg kicks, and won the fight in the second round by TKO, after dropping Tafa three times.[3]

On December 8, 2018, he entered the Glory 62 Heavyweight tournament[4] He lost in the quarter final against Jamal Ben Saddik by TKO second round.[5]

Tafa faced Cihad Kepenek at Glory 65: Utrecht on May 17, 2019.[6] He lost the fight by unanimous decision.[7]

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Debuting in July 2022, Tafa won his first two bouts on the Australian regional scene, both by TKO stoppages.

Tafa then faced Nicolas Djurdjević on November 26, 2022 at BRAVE CF 66. He won the bout via TKO stoppage two minutes into the bout.[8]

Tafa faced Tsuyoshi Sudario on December 31, 2022 at Rizin 40.[9] He won the fight by TKO via punches in the first round.[10]

Ultimate Fighting Championship

In January 2023, it was announced that Tafa had signed with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He will make his promotional debut against Austen Lane at UFC 284 on February 11, 2023.[11] However, Lane withdrew due to undisclosed reasons and was replaced by Waldo Cortes-Acosta.[12] In turn, it was announced a few days later that Tafa withdrew due to injury and the bout was scrapped.[13]

Tafa faced Mohammed Usman on April 22, 2023 at UFC Fight Night 222. [14] Tafa lost bout via unanimous decision.[15]

Tafa faced Parker Porter on August 26, 2023, at UFC Fight Night 225.[16] He won the bout via knockout in the first round.[17] This win which earned him a Performance of the Night award.[18]

Tafa faced Marcos Rogério de Lima, replacing his injured brother Justin Tafa, on February 17, 2024, at UFC 298.[19] However, Tafa withdrew the day before the event due to injury.[20] He lost the bout by technical knockout in round two.[21]

Tafa was scheduled to face Karl Williams on March 23, 2024, at UFC on ESPN 53.[22] However, Tafa was pulled from the event due to injury and he was replaced by his brother Justin Tafa.[23]

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown
7 matches 5 wins 2 losses
By knockout 5 1
By decision 0 1
More information Res., Record ...

[24]

Professional boxing record

More information 2 fights, 1 win ...
More information No., Result ...

Kickboxing & Muay Thai record

More information Date, Result ...

See also

Notes

    References

    1. [1]
      "Junior Tafa to appear in eight-man heavyweight tournament at Glory 62 in Rotterdam". sportingnews.com. Retrieved 28 September 2020.
    2. [2]
      "GLORY 50 results: Grigorian TKO's Groenhart, wins WW title". fightmag.com.au. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
    3. [3]
      "Junior Tafa Looking for Rematch With Benjamin Adegbuyi". kickboxingz.com. Retrieved 28 September 2020.
    4. [4]
      Williams, Shar. "GLORY Returns to Rotterdam with Eight-Man Heavyweight Tournament". combatpress.com. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
    5. [5]
      "GLORY 62 Results: Ben Saddik Captures Heavyweight Tournament". combatpress.com. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
    6. [6]
      van Dinter, Sean (6 April 2019). "GLORY 65 Utrecht: Junior Tafa treft Cihad Kepenek". vechtsportinfo.nl. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
    7. [7]
      "Glory'de Cihad Kepenek Rüzgarı". fightclub.com.tr. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
    8. [8]
      AlexBehunin (27 November 2022). "Highlights! Watch Mini Tafa Score Another First Round Finish Ahead Of RIZIN Debut". MMAmania.com. Retrieved 28 November 2022.
    9. [9]
      "【RIZIN】大みそかBellator対抗戦の最後のカードは武田光司！ 榊原CEOも期待「満場一致でお願いしたい」（オリコン）". Yahoo!ニュース (in Japanese). Retrieved 12 November 2022.
    10. [10]
      "【RIZIN】スダリオ剛が98秒KO負け！マーク・ハント門下のジュニア・タファの剛腕に沈む（ゴング格闘技）". Yahoo!ニュース (in Japanese). Retrieved 2 January 2023.
    11. [11]
      "Junior Tafa firma contrato con UFC, enfrenta a Austen Lane en UFC 284". MMA.uno , #1 En noticias de Artes Marciales Mixtas (MMA) en Español. (in Spanish). 16 January 2023. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
    12. [12]
      Steve Duncan (20 January 2023). "Change of plans: Junior Tafa will face Waldo Cortes-Acosta at UFC 284". mma.uno. Retrieved 20 January 2023. (in Spanish)
    13. [13]
      Carlos Contreras Legaspi (8 February 2023). "UFC: Waldo Cortés-Acosta will face Marcos Rogerio 'Pezao' de Lima in April". espndeportes.espn.com. Retrieved 9 February 2023. (in Spanish)
    14. [14]
      "UFC Fight Night 222 adds heavyweight bout Junior Tafa vs. Mohammed Usman". MMA Junkie. 24 March 2023. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
    15. [15]
      Pillay, Byron (22 April 2023). "Nigeria's Mohammed Usman Secures Victory Over Junior Tafa at UFC Fight Night". SportsBrief - Sport news. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
    16. [16]
      "UFC Matchmaking Bulletin (7/10-7/16): Charles Jourdain Returns Against Ricardo Ramos, Three Cancellations". MMA News | UFC News, Results & Interviews. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
    17. [17]
      Theodosi, Jamie (26 August 2023). "Parker Porter Gets First Round KO'd By A Tafa For The Second Time This Year". Cageside Press. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
    18. [18]
      Matt Erickson (26 August 2023). "UFC Fight Night 225 bonuses: Max Holloway's Fight of Night dedicated to Lahaina, Maui". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
    19. [19]
      Cruz, Guilherme (21 November 2023). "Justin Tafa vs. Marcos Rogerio de Lima added to UFC 298". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
    20. [20]
      Nolan King and Mike Bohn (16 February 2024). "Junior Tafa steps into UFC 298 matchup on one day's notice after brother injured". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
    21. [21]
      Jay Anderson (17 February 2024). "UFC 298: Marcos Rogerio de Lima Decimates Junior Tafa with Calf Kicks". casesidepress.com. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
    22. [22]
      Newswire, MMA Fighting (30 January 2024). "UFC Vegas 88: Ribas vs. Namajunas full card confirmed". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
    23. [23]
      Heck, Mike (3 March 2024). "Justin Tafa returns the favor, steps in for brother Junior to face Karl Williams at UFC Vegas 89". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
    24. [24]
      "Junior Tafa MMA Stats". Sherdog. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
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