This weekend at UFC Vegas 88, Tai Tuivasa will hope he can make another statement against fellow top 10 heavyweight Marcin Tybura. ‘Bam Bam’ is currently on a three-fight losing streak for the second time in his career. Does he have what it takes to not only bounce back but make a run at the title? Let’s dive in.
Tai Tuivasa Hoping for a Resurgence at UFC Vegas 88
Tuivasa got off to a flying start in his UFC career – quite literally. He knocked out Rashad Coulter with a flying knee in the very first round earning him a performance of the night bonus. He then went on to knock out Cyril Asker and beat UFC legend Andrei Arlovski via unanimous decision. The Australian was 9-0 at this point and the UFC seemed to have a rising star on their hands capable of challenging for the title one day.
Unfortunately for Tuivasa, he lost his next three UFC fights to Junior dos Santos, Blagoy Ivanov, and Serghei Spivac. The fall came as quickly as the rise.
Tuivasa was far from a flash in the pan though. In October of 2020, he reminded the combat sports world of who he was by knocking out Stefan Struve in brutal fashion. He wasn’t done there either. Tui won his next four fights all by way of knockout. He claimed his biggest scalp to date along the way too in Derrick Lewis.
The 30-year-old then had to endure another three-fight skid. Just as he began to look like a title threat once more, Ciryl Gane proved to be a step too far for ‘Bam Bam’. He had his moments in that fight, dropping Gane to the canvas early on, but the Frenchman rallied to knock out Tuivasa in the third. Sergei Pavlovich also knocked him out before Alexander Volkov submitted the young heavyweight in September last year.
Tuivasa needs a big win at UFC Vegas 88 on Saturday if he is to rise up the rankings again.
The Tuivasa Skillset
So is the KO artist from Australia capable of becoming a title threat? At 30 years old, age is certainly on his side. For a big man, ‘Bam Bam’ is surprisingly light on his feet and has devastating power in his hands. I believe Tai Tuivasa can put the UFC heavyweight division on notice again if he stays focused and goes on another win streak.
There is no reason why he cannot become a title threat in the future. In this division especially, anything is possible. Tuivasa can put anyone out on his day and is able to hang with the top guys in the UFC. The only issue is I see a big skill gap between him and the likes of Tom Aspinall and Jon Jones. As long as those two are around, I don’t think Tuivasa actually achieves gold.
Over the years Tuivasa has improved his overall game. His confidence grew during his five-fight win streak, and he has gained invaluable experience in the UFC. His low kick is a useful weapon and he will use it to set up some of his power shots with the hands. He can be chaotic, but there is method to the madness. The Aussie is deadly in the pocket and can keep his cool under fire, mixing up his shots and creating angles to deliver highlight reel knockouts.
Tuivasa hasn’t proved to be a grappling threat in his UFC career so far. His wrestling and Jiu-Jitsu may need to improve if he is to climb the rankings quickly. He has been known to rise to his feet fairly fast when taken down though.
Prediction for UFC Vegas 88: Tuivasa vs Tybura
I can see Tuivasa bouncing back from the losses in style here. I think he will knock Tybura out and fairly early too. Tybura is no joke, and has only lost two fights in his last nine, but Tuivasa has made light work of experienced heavyweights in and around the top 10 before.
If ‘Bam Bam’ can remain disciplined, we may see him make another run at the top five again soon and finally become that title threat.
