Fan favorite Tai Tuivasa can make a UFC heavyweight title run, says his coach at Scrappy MMA, Ben Vickers.
Tuivasa, who has lost six straight fights, takes on Louie Sutherland this Saturday at UFC Perth. In the lead-up to this bout, Tuivasa has been training in town alongside Jack Della Maddalena, who fights Carlos Prates in the main event. Reports are that Tuivasa looks good in camp and is taking this fight very seriously, especially given that he could be fighting for his UFC job.
Coach Believes Tai Tuivasa Has Another UFC Heavyweight Title Run in Him
Despite his long losing skid, Tuivasa has been impressing coach Vickers, and even though you may laugh, the coach thinks Tuivasa has it in him to get back into title contention despite his recent failings. Speaking to Southern Cross Combat, coach Vickers praised Tuivasa, saying the rotund heavyweight is highly motivated to go out there and beat Sutherland.
“I really believe he can (make another heavyweight title run), I think I say a lot of (expletive), and people go, ‘What planet is this (expletive) bloke on?’ But I think Bam can make another run for the title. Coming off a skid, it feels a far-fetched thing to say, but I’ve said some far-fetched things in my time, and some of them have come true. I think Bam can go on a run here. He’s a very talented heavyweight and motivated, that’s the key thing,” Vickers said (via Bloody Elbow).
Although Tuivasa is known mostly for being a brawler during his UFC career, Vickers believes there is a technical MMA fighter hiding inside his body, and he thinks he can show it this weekend.
“You want to see the guy actually box and fight and move. He’s a phenomenal martial artist,” Vickers said.
For his part, Tuivasa spoke to the media ahead of this Saturday’s fight and confirmed he is training as hard as he can, as he knows he needs a win to keep his UFC job.
“They (expletive) bring some animals in that garage, man, I’m telling you. It’s been awesome. I’ve been training with Jack (Della Maddalena) and his brother Josh and the boys at Scrappy. Perth’s been chill, not much to do here, so that’s been good. It’s been good, I’m in a good headspace, too. I feel good, man,” Tuivasa said.
Tai Tuivasa Has Enjoyed the Highs and Lows of Being a UFC Fighter
Tuivasa joined the UFC in 2018, and he has been a staple of the heavyweight division ever since. The 33-year-old Australian is 8-9 overall in the UFC, with notable wins over Derrick Lewis, Andrei Arlovski, Greg Hardy, and Augusto Sakai. 13 of his 14 career wins have come by knockout, so when fans watch “Bam Bam” fight, they know they are getting their money’s worth. He has also become a fan favorite for drinking beer out of a shoe after he gets his hand raised, affectionately known as a “Shoey.”
That being said, Tuivasa has lost six straight fights. Most fighters get cut after losing three or four fights, so the fact that Tuivasa has lost six but is still on the roster shows how much the UFC values him, and also how much the fans want to watch him. But at some point, you have to cut the cord, and if he loses seven in a row, it would be shocking to see him fight in the UFC again. With so much on the line, look for Tuivasa to come out swinging against Sutherland and do everything in his power to get the win.
Tai Tuivasa Can Make UFC Heavyweight Title Run, Says Coach