UFC heavyweight veteran Tai Tuivasa is targeting a 2026 return to the Octagon, as he looks to bounce back from a difficult run of losses.
Since rising to a career high #3 in the rankings when a knockout of Derrick Lewis put him on a five-fight winning run, fan favorite Tuivasa has experienced nothing but defeat inside the Octagon.
2024 began with “Bam Bam” suffering a fourth straight loss, with Marcin Tybura adding to the woes of the Australian’s setbacks opposite Ciryl Gane, Sergei Pavlovich, and Alexander Volkov.
And at last August’s UFC 305 pay-per-view in Perth, Australia, it was the turn of Rozenstruik to get in on the action. “Bigi Boy” followed up on his headline win over Shamil Gaziev earlier in the year by comfortably outpointing Tuivasa in enemy territory.
During an appearance on Wednesday’s episode of The Ariel Helwani Show on Uncrowned, the KO specialist revealed that he currently weighs in excess of 300 pounds, having decided to take a lengthy break from competition.
The Aussie did, however, provide an update on his status and outline a return timeline.
“I’m gonna aim for start of next year,” he said. “I need to get back in the gym. I need to get fit. I need to get ready. I feel much better now I’ve had this break… I’ve got something to prove, I’m not done yet.”
And when he does make his comeback, “Bam Bam” doesn’t see much in terms of tough competition.
“It’s definitely been something I’ve been thinking about a lot since I’ve been having this time off… The heavyweights are sh*t,” Tuivasa stated. “They’re all sh*t, except for Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall. Other than that, f*cking everyone’s pretty standard.”
