Getting to fight in the heavyweight division doesn’t mean that a fighter can put on as much weight as he wants. There’s a limit of 265 pounds, above which the fighters would no longer be allowed to fight in the Octagon as heavyweights. Of course, there were fighters who walked around with weights as high as 600 pounds. Yes, we’re talking about the heaviest ever fighter to enter the Octagon, Emmanuel Yarbrough. And right after the UFC 3 contender, came in the legendary Brock Lesnar, who normally weighed around 290 pounds, and cut down to 265 pounds before his fights. But now, Tai Tuivasa has surpassed Lesnar in the heaviest fighters’ race. 

The big revelation came during ‘Bam Bam’s recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, after the famed mixed martial arts reporter asked the heavyweight contender if there was something in particular for which he was planning to go back to the gym. Tuivasa jutted out that he wanted to get back into the MMA cage. And the timeline for that? Somewhere around 2026. But when Helwani commented that it was still a long way down, Tuivasa said, “Yeah, I need to. Look at me. I need to get back in the gym. I need to get fit, I need to get ready.” 

So, that made the MMA journalist and his audience wonder about Tuivasa’s current weight. And it seemed like it was something that the #10 heavyweight contender wanted to hide. Nevertheless, he answered, “Oh s—! I’ll be 140, easy.” But 140 is a good and lean number, right? Even lower than the lightweight requirements, right? Wrong. Tuivasa announced his weight in kilograms. In terms of pounds, he weighs around 308 pounds. Hence, he surpassed Brock Lesnar to become the second heaviest fighter in the UFC. And this also meant that he is going to have quite some trouble with cutting over 60 pounds to make weight by 2026. 

Unfortunately, weight cut isn’t the only headache that Tuivasa has to endure. He’s also worried about his stance in the UFC. ‘Bam Bam’ is already on a 5-fight losing streak. Losing a few more fights would arguably deem him redundant in the heavyweight realm. And in the end, Dana White would be forced to let him go. With the sands of time slipping out of his hands, Tuivasa needs to get along with a good team. And while he does that, let’s take a look at his recent defeats.

Tai Tuivasa’s trouble with back-to-back losses

The Australian heavyweight’s bad time began with the fight against Ciryl Gane back in 2022. In the third round, the Frenchman managed to finish Tuivasa with his punches, marking the beginning of his losing spree. His next bout against Sergei Pavlovich ended in just 54 seconds with a KO defeat. UFC 293 witnessed Tuivasa’s third loss in a row, as Alexander Volkov choked him out in the second round. Next up, it was Marcin Tybura’s turn to drop him with an RNC in the first round. And finally, Tuivasa lost against Jairzinho Rozenstruik via a split decision at UFC 305. 

But ‘Bam Bam’ wasn’t one to give up. He took to X and sent a message to his supporters. He wrote, “F—. What a sport. I put my all into this camp and didn’t come away with the win. Big love to all my fans I put my all into this didn’t get the treats. My bad 😌 love you all the real ones ❤️ Live to fight another day. AUSSIE FANS I LOVE YOU C— BEST IN THE BIZZO 🥰🥰.”

‘Bam Bam’ has now stayed out of action since August 2024, and doesn’t plan on getting back before 2026. But the determination that he showed at The Ariel Helwani Show told the MMA realm that he’d redeem himself soon enough. All we have to do as fans is wait and watch. 

What are your thoughts on Tai Tuivasa’s current weight? Do you think he can cut down to 265 pounds before 2026? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.