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Few fighters embody the element of fun like Tai Tuivasa. Not only is he a heavy-handed brawler, he is also a ball of charisma with a signature post-fight celebration. Unfortunately, UFC fans haven't seen a 'shoey' in five fights.
'Bam Bam' once scored five consecutive knockouts, which earned him a heavyweight title eliminator against former interim champion Ciryl Gane. A win would have netted the Australian power-puncher a matchup for the vacant undisputed heavyweight title against Jon Jones.
Instead, Tuivasa was handed a beating from which he has not recovered. He is only 31 years old, so his woes can't possibly be blamed on old age. Moreover, he doesn't appear to be fighting any worse than he used to. The UFC 305 version of him is no different from when he debuted. So, what happened?
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Tai Tuivasa's wins: A case study
The unfortunate truth may be that Tuivasa was never that good. However, evaluating his UFC wins is the only way to ascertain if that is true. 'Bam Bam's' UFC journey began in 2017 against Rashad Coulter, who even hardcore fans won't remember.
Tuivasa was an undefeated Octagon debutant at the time, while Coulter was 8-2. Tuivasa made short of work him with a first-round knockout, as most predicted. After all, his opponent came in off a knockout loss to journeyman Chase Sherman.
Check out Tai Tuivasa's knockout of Rashad Coulter:
Coulter didn't fare too well after that, going 1-2 for an overall MMA record of 9 wins and five losses. In short, he was not a quality win. During his next fight, 'Bam Bam' TKO'd Ciryl Asker to boot the 9-4 Frenchman from the UFC.
Tuivasa's next fight proved to be a partial step up in competition, as he took on ex-UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski. By then, the Belarusian icon was nearing his forties and was on a stark decline, having gone 2-5 in his last seven fights to bring his record to 27-15 (1).
Naturally, Tuivasa won the bout, but it would be his last win for two years. He found himself on a three-fight skid from 2018-2019 that saw him get finished twice. It appeared the second coming of Mark Hunt had some growing pains to endure.
Fortunately, his next foe was Stefan Struve, who was known more for his glass chin than his height. Moreover, the Dutchman was 29-12 and 1-4 in his last five fights when he faced Tuivasa. As expected, 'Bam Bam' knocked him out, retiring him from the sport at 29-13.
Check out Tai Tuivasa's knockout of Stefan Struve:
Afterward, the Australian battled low-level competition. He welcomed the 6-3 Harry Hunsucker to the UFC, TKO'ing him in 49 seconds of round one. Hunsucker would fight twice more for the promotion, getting TKO'd in round one both times to exit the spotlight at 7-5.
'Bam Bam' next faced Greg Hardy, who was 7-3 (1) then and had just lost to Marcin Tybura. Despite his bold proclamations and athleticism, Hardy was knocked out in round one and lost his next fight via first-round stoppage to Serghei Spivac.
Finally, Tuivasa's next two UFC wins, which remain his most recent, were second-round stoppages against Augusto Sakai, who is 16-6-1 and 1-5 in his last six fights, and Derrick Lewis, who is 28-12 and 2-4 in his last six bouts. Neither man is a quality win.
Check out Tai Tuivasa's knockout of Derrick Lewis:
Sakai is unathletic and was on a two-fight losing streak, both knockouts when he faced Tuivasa. Meanwhile, Lewis is one-dimensional with his overhand right and was 1-1 in his two prior bouts when they locked horns. So, as it turned out, Tuivasa hasn't beaten anyone particularly noteworthy. But what of his losses?
Examining Tai Tuivasa's losses
Tai Tuivasa has lost eight times in the UFC, with his first promotional setback against Junior dos Santos. While the Brazilian is a former heavyweight champion, he was a shadow of his former self when they fought. He was crippled by the beatings he took from Cain Velasquez.
Check out Tai Tuivasa vs. Junior dos Santos:
By 2018, 'JDS' was failing against every top heavyweight and only beating the likes of Blagoy Ivanov and Derrick Lewis. That 'Bam Bam' was TKO'd by him says a lot. Worse than that though, Tuivasa's next loss was to Ivanov, who has never been elite.
Following the Ivanov defeat, Tuivasa lost again, going 0-3 after tapping to an arm triangle against the unremarkable but serviceable Serghei Spivac. Afterward, he tore through Sakai and Lewis before stumbling into a rough patch that began with a TKO loss to Ciryl Gane.
Gane, a former interim heavyweight champion, is a high-level fighter. He is the next man who beat 'Bam Bam' before the heavy-handed Sergei Pavlovich knocked him out. Other defeats piled up as the Australian lost to elite striker Alexander Volkov and the duo of Marcin Tybura and Jairzinho Rozenstruik.
Check out Tai Tuivasa's split-decision loss to Jairzinho Rozenstruik:
Tuivasa, it seems, has never been a high-level fighter. He remains the same brawler with a right hand and an odd low kick he's always been. A fan-favorite? Yes. An elite? No. He comes up short against top competition and even faded former champions, which current-generation fighters should defeat.
