UFC news: Tai Tuivasa wants to get paid and enjoy Christmas with family
Australian heavyweight UFC slugger Tai Tuivasa, who fights Sergei Pavlovich on Sunday, has explained why he is taking time off after this fight.
UFC
Don't miss out on the headlines from UFC. Followed categories will be added to My News.
No f----, no fear and definitely no fight in Perth.
Tai Tuivasa just wants to get paid so he can enjoy Christmas with his son.
The long-awaited UFC return to Perth in February next year features a laundry list of Aussie fighters but eyebrows were raised when the knockout king was absent from the card.
Instead he’s back in the Octagon on Sunday at 2pm AEDT for a bruising battle with Russian Sergei Pavlovich (16-1-0) at a UFC Fight Night in Orlando – his last before a mooted six-month break.
Asked why he was in Orlando and not preparing for a hometown hero call Down Under, Tuivasa (15-4-0) said family was firmly at the top of his priority list and that meant swerving Perth for Pavlovich.
“February means camp would be over Christmas and New Year’s, and I wanted to spend Christmas with my son,” he said.
“(The Pavlovich fight) popped up and I thought it was a great opportunity to get paid and enjoy Christmas.
“Obviously I’d love to fight in front of the Australian fans but I’ve been pretty active, so I’m keen to finish the year off with a bang, get back in the winning column and then have a bit of a rest.
“I’m more excited to be pissed by the side of the ring than starving myself over Christmas, you know what I mean?
“Christmas is a time for family and I’ve been away from home for a long time now. That’s the one thing I’m very excited about.
“Sorry Australia, but I’ll be there in the crowd.”
It means backing up just three months after his entertaining loss to Frenchman Ciryl Gane, which brought to an end Tuivasa’s five-fight winning streak, against the fifth-ranked Pavlovich who himself is unbeaten in his past four trips to the octagon.
The Russian’s run of heavy-handed knockouts has him rising quickly through the division but Tuivasa has no qualms going toe-to-toe in Orlando.
“I suppose that’s why they offered him to me, everyone must be scared of him,” he said.
“I accepted the fight and I didn’t really know who he was, then I looked. I think it will be a great fight for the fans. I’ve come to entertain the fans and put on a show and I think that’s why Sergei and I will do.”
The heavyweight division has been on-pause for much of 2022 with champion Francis Ngannou laid up recovering from knee surgery.
A mooted March 2023 bout with Jon Jones could finally set the division in motion once again but Tuivasa cares little for the politics.
“I couldn’t give a f---,” he said.
“I come here to get paid, feed my son (and) feed my family. Whatever they do is their business. I don’t even know who (is ranked where in the division). I just rock up, get my money and go home. Merry Christmas.”
TUIVASA’S SHOCK UFC DECISION
Jamie Pandaram
Tai Tuivasa will take an extended break from the UFC octagon after his fight this weekend, revealing he is sick of being away from his son.
The Australian heavyweight star plans to take at least six months off to spend time with his six-year-old boy Carter, and focus on his business interests.
Tuivasa fights Russian Sergei Pavlovich on a UFC Fight Night to be televised live on ESPN2 this Sunday from 2pm (AEST), in a fight that will have major ramifications for the heavyweight division.
Tuivasa is ranked No. 4 and Pavlovich No. 5, but the western Sydney slugger will not be chasing an immediate title shot should he prevail.
“I want to get the win this weekend, and I want to have some time off,” Tuivasa told News Corp Australia.
“I want to go home, I’ve got a lot of other ventures, I’ve got DrinkWest, I’ve got The Flower Shop (in Penrith), I’ve got [film production company] Two7Project, a lot of other businesses.
“I’ve put the time into the fighting, now it’s time for me to go home and put some time into them, get them up and running, and then think about what I want to do.
“But I want to go home and spend some time with my boy, I want to be around.
“You only get one crack at this life and I feel like I’ve put my time into the fighting and now it’s time to put some time into myself, get some rehab, I’ve got a few niggles as all fighters do, and just rest my body, have a good six months off and we’ll go from there.”
Tuivasa has spent most of time since 2020 in Dubai, where he holds his training camps between fights.
“For the last two years I feel like I’ve done nothing but fight and train, and I’ve done well,” he said.
“People have to be smart in this sport. I’m 29 now, I’ve still got a good 10 years ahead of me.
“I’m not going to burn myself out for the company or for anyone else, I feel like I’ve done what I’ve had to do, now I’ve got to give back to myself and my son, which is to rehab up, give my body a rest and put some time with my son in.”
Tuivasa, who is coming off a loss to Frenchman Cyril Gane, recently missed the sixth birthday party for Carter, whose mother is Brierly Pedro – sister of UFC light heavyweight fighter Tyson Pedro.
“My son’s old enough to ask questions now,” Tuivasa said.
“He asked me, ‘Why are you never home?’ I was pretty stunned, I didn’t know what to say, I said ‘Dad’s working’.
“He goes, ‘Why don’t you train here?’ It’s a good question, he’s a smart boy.
“I’ve got to figure out how I can train and be around my son more. He is the main thing in my life and everything else comes second.”
The dodgy paperwork that launched UFC career of Aussie star
Growing up, Cody Haddon saw things ‘that a kid shouldn’t be exposed to’. A path to prison could easily have been the one he walked down, but the rising Australian UFC star had other ideas.
Watch: Incredible moment Tafa found out his opponent pulled out
Junior Tafa had spent the morning talking about how he was going to knock out Chris Barnett, without knowing a vicious cyclone had derailed his plans. Watch his exclusive reaction to the news here.