Tai Tuivasa
Tai Tuivasa is an Australian mixed martial arts fighter currently competing in the Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Early life
Tuivasa was born in Sydney to an Indigenous Australian mother, a Samoan father and 11 siblings. He grew up in the western Sydney suburb of Mt Druitt and predominantly played rugby league in his youth. He was signed by the professional Sydney Roosters rugby league club in 2010 but gave up playing the sport when he developed a gambling addiction.Mixed martial arts career
Early career
Tuivasa made his professional MMA debut in August 2012 in his native Australia. He fought sporadically over the next four years, with all of his wins ending in knockouts.Tuivasa also fought a couple MMA mixed rules bouts with Combat 8 promotions. Tuivasa fought Australian former rugby league representative John Hopoate on December 1, 2012 in the Newcastle Panthers FC arena at Combat 8:02, the second Combat 8 event, winning the fight by TKO. Tuivasa later fought kickboxer Peter Graham at Combat 8:03, in a back and forth brawl that seemed as if Tuivasa would finish his opponent early on. Yet as the fight went on, Graham rallied and Tuivasa tired, leading to an eventual loss for Tuivasa via TKO in the second round due to punches.
Ultimate Fighting Championship
In November 2016, it was announced that Tuivasa had signed a four-fight contract with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. According to Tuivasa, he had to sit out an extended period due to a knee injury and subsequent surgery.Tuivasa would make his UFC debut against Rashad Coulter on 19 November 2017 at. Tuivasa won the fight via knockout due to a flying knee in the first round and became the first indigenous Australian to win a UFC fight. This win also earned him the Performance of the Night bonus.
Tuivasa faced Cyril Asker on 11 February 2018 at UFC 221. He won the fight via technical knock out in the first round. On 13 February 2018 Tuivasa entered the UFC's official rankings for heavyweight fighters, coming in at position 15.
In March 2018, Tuivasa signed a new, four-fight contract with UFC. Tuivasa faced Andrei Arlovski on 9 June 2018 at UFC 225. He won the fight by unanimous decision.
Tuivasa faced Junior dos Santos on 2 December 2018 at UFC Fight Night 142. He lost the fight via technical knockout in round two.
Tuivasa faced Blagoy Ivanov on 8 June 2019 at UFC 238. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.
Tuivasa faced Sergey Spivak on 6 October 2019 at UFC 243. He lost the fight via arm-triangle choke in the second round.
Tuivasa is scheduled to face Jarjis Danho on June 5, 2020 at UFC 251. However, on April 9, Dana White, the president of UFC announced that this event was postponed to a future date.
Championships and accomplishments
- Ultimate Fighting Championship
- *Performance of the Night vs. Rashad Coulter
- Australian Fighting Championship
- *AFC Heavyweight Champion
- National Dreamtime Awards 2018
- *National Dreamtime Awards 2018 International Sportsperson of the Year.
Personal life
Tuivasa currently hosts "The Halfcast Podcast" with Tyson Pedro as co-host.
Tuivasa's moniker "Shoeyvasa" was coined by Sydney The Daily Telegraph newspaper after Tuivasa drinking beer from two fans' shoes after he won the bout against Andrei Arlovski at UFC 225.
Mixed martial arts record
Professional boxing record
| No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes |
| 7 | Lose | 5–2 |  Demsey McKean | UD | 3 | 15 April 2016 | The Melbourne Pavilion, Flemington, Victoria, Australia | Frank Bianco Cup Eight Man Heavyweight tournament Final |
| 6 | Win | 5–1 | David Tuitupou | UD | 3 | 15 April 2016 | The Melbourne Pavilion, Flemington, Victoria, Australia | Frank Bianco Cup Eight Man Heavyweight tournament Semi Final |
| 5 | Win | 4–1 | Hamad Alloush | TKO | 2, 1:33 | 15 April 2016 | The Melbourne Pavilion, Flemington, Victoria, Australia | Frank Bianco Cup Eight Man Heavyweight tournament Quarter Final |
| 4 | Lose | 3–1 | Michael Kirby | 3 | 3 April 2014 | The Melbourne Pavilion, Flemington, Victoria, Australia | Eight man heavyweight tournament final | |
| 3 | Win | 3–0 | Willie Nasio | 1, 2:00 | 3 April 2014 | The Melbourne Pavilion, Flemington, Victoria, Australia | Eight man heavyweight tournament Semi final | |
| 2 | Win | 2–0 | Brett Smith | 1, 3:00 | 3 April 2014 | The Melbourne Pavilion, Flemington, Victoria, Australia | Eight man heavyweight tournament Quarter final | |
| 1 | Win | 1–0 | Nathan McKay | 3, 2:57 | 13 December 2013 | Olympic Park Sports Centre, Homebush, New South Wales, Australia | Professional debut |