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Justin Tafa's ethnicity makes him one of several UFC heavyweights to evoke shades of Mark Hunt, as he bears several surface-level similarities to 'The Super Samoan,' such as crushing knockout power and his birth in Auckland, New Zealand to a family of Samoan descent.
Where is Justin Tafa from?
Justin Tafa was born in Auckland, New Zealand, and grew up in the West Auckland suburb of Avondale. However, he belongs to a family of Samoan descent. Samoans are a group of Indigenous Polynesian people of the Samoan islands, who speak the Samoan language.
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Justin Tafa pursued a career in Rugby
Like many Kiwis—a self-referential label for New Zealanders— Justin Tafa first expressed interest in rugby, a sport that carries tremendous importance to those of Tafa's nationality, and has served as a platform for many athletes of Samoan descent. He played for the Marist Saints in the junior Auckland Rugby League.
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He was subsequently signed to Melbourne Storm in Australia, where he played in the under-20 team and has since become a citizen. Unfortunately, he failed to reach the heights he had anticipated, and a series of injuries chipped away at his motivation until he had little interest in rugby.
Justin Tafa's transition to combat sports
After his Rugby career did not yield desired results, Justin Tafa found combat sports, and it made sense. Not only was he heavy-set and strong, but his family was no stranger to professional fighting. His grandfather once achieved national championship glory in boxing, while his brothers, including Junior Tafa who is now in the UFC, also entered combat sports.
So, 'Bad Man' followed suit, becoming a mixed martial artist, and in doing so, discovered that he had the frightening ability to knock his opponents out cold with a touch. He was powerful, even more so than the average heavyweight, and his record is a testament, as every single win of Tafa's has come by knockout.
He lives and dies by the sword, which unfortunately led to four losses alongside his seven wins. Now, he is in the UFC and has been for some time. While a position in ranked territory has eluded him thus far, he continues to blast through whoever the promotion puts in front of him until there's a number next to his name.
Justin Tafa and Junior Tafa have both stepped in on short notice for each other
Ahead of UFC 298, Justin Tafa was set to face Marcos Rogério de Lima, but an injury forced him to withdraw from the bout. He was instead replaced by his younger brother, Junior Tafa, who stepped in on short notice and lost via TKO. Then, it is 'Bad Man' who stepped in on short notice for his younger brother.
The older Tafa brother faced Karl Williams at UFC Vegas 89 in March 2024 after his brother pulled out of the fight due to injury. It marked a unique situation where two siblings with similar fighting styles willingly replaced the other in the event of injury, all to the UFC's delight.
Unfortunately for Tafa, he suffered a unanimous decision loss against Williams in the short-notice bout. He will attempt to get back in the win column as he faces Tallison Teixeira at UFC 312 on Feb. 9.
