UFC heavyweight contender, Justin Tafa is getting ready to take on Marcos Rogerio De Lima at UFC 298 on 17th February 2024. Tafa is riding on a 3 fight-winning streak, with all three fights ending by first-round Ko’s.

Justin Tafa is one of the more reserved types of fighter in the sport, who prefers to let his skills do the talking. Tafa’s calm demeanor is a reason why there’s not much known about the heavyweight despite being in the UFC for over 4 years. Here is some information about the fighter.

Justin Tafa: Nationality, ethnicity and family

The UFC heavyweight, Justin Tafa, was born on 13th December 1993 in Auckland, New Zealand. Tafa is of Samoan descent, which makes his ethnicity as Samoa. His love for fighting seems to have been passed down by his grandfather.

Tafa’s grandfather was a national boxing champion from New Zealand with a passion for fighting. His love for fighting seems to have been passed down to his grandchildren as all three of the Tafa brothers were professional boxers.

The UFC heavyweight doesn’t bring his family to the public eye, which is why there isn’t much information on his parents and brothers. However, one of his brothers, Junior Tafa, is a former Glory kickboxer and now also fights in the UFC heavyweight division.

The Tafa family seems to share a great passion for fighting, given their history of competing in combat sports. However, Justin Tafa started off quite late in his MMA career.

The career timeline of ‘The Bad Man’

The Samoan native didn’t start his professional career as a combat sports athlete. Justin Tafa started his in sports as a professional rugby player. He played in the under-20’s national rugby under the Melbourne Storm banner. He would later change his sport giving it a go at MMA.

‘The Bad Man’ made his MMA career debut all the back on 20th May 2017. He would then go on to win three fights straight with finishes, which led to him singing with the UFC with only 3 professional fights. As of right now, Tafa holds an MMA record of 7-3 (1 NC) with all seven of his wins coming by way of knockout.

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Given Justin Tafa’s spectacular 100% finish rate going into the fight against a veteran like Marcos Rogerio de Lima, how do you think he would fare against the experience of the Brazilian? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.

Also Read: VIDEO: Insane Head Kick by Heavyweight Justin Tafa Stuns Everyone in the First Round at UFC Fight Night