UFC heavyweight contender Justin Tafa was set to take on Marcos Rogerio de Lima at UFC 298. However, the UFC heavyweight had to step down from the bout due to an untimely and unexpected injury. But luckily for the UFC, they have found a replacement in Junior Tafa, for the injured fighter.

Junior Tafa, also a contract fighter with the UFC and Justin Tafa’s brother will be stepping up to face Marcos Togerio de Lima in place of the older Tafa brother. Given the UFC heavyweight’s late entry, let us look into the ethnicity and nationality of Junior Tafa.

Junior Tafa: Ethnicity, Nationality and Fighting Lineage

UFC heavyweight, Junior Tafa was born on 21st September 1996 in Auckland, New Zealand. Tafa, just like his brother is of Samoan descent, which makes his ethnicity Samoa. However, he fights out of Australia. He is a proud fighter with his roots in the love of fighting stemming back from his grandfather.

There isn’t much known about his parents, however, Tafa’s grandfather was the national champion for boxing in New Zealand back in his days. His passion for combat spread to his grandchildren as all of Junior Tafa’s brothers took a love for combat sports. Which was a given considering how hard they hit.

Junior Tafa has an impressive 100 percent finish rate in his professional MMA career. He has a record that stands at 5-1, with all 5 wins coming by way of knockouts, with 4 of the 5 coming in the very first round.

Both the Tafa brothers are really great prospects. Given how fresh both fighters are in the sport, MMA fans are eager to see what they have in store for the new generation of Samoan knockout artists.

Why did Justin Tafa Pull out of his fight at UFC 298?

Fans were shocked upon hearing that the UFC heavyweight Justin Tafa had pulled out of his fight against Marcos Rogerio de Lima. Nevertheless, fans were pleased to see his brother Junior Tafa Substitute for his brother. What was surprising was how last minute it was given that the decision was made only 70 minutes before the official weigh-ins.

Watch this Story: Five Fascinating Facts About Derrick Lewis

The older Tafa brother had injured his knee while he was grappling with the younger Tafa brother, Junior. Despite Junior Tafa’s last-minute entry, he still has a lot of confidence going into the fight.

Will Junior Tafa be able to get the win despite the short-notice step-in for his brother at UFC 298? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.

Also Read: What Ethnicity Is Justin Tafa? Parents, Nationality, and All We Know about UFC HW’s Background