Justin ‘Bad Man’ Tafa will honour the memory of a boy who died tragically in his hometown of Logan at UFC 298

Justin Tafa will be spurred by heartache at UFC 298, honouring the memory of young boy who died in his hometown of Logan.

Knockout artist Justin Tafa is back in the Octagon this weekend. Picture: Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

Brisbane heavyweight Justin Tafa will be fuelled by heartache when he steps into the Octagon against Marcos Rogerio de Lima at UFC 298 this weekend.

Knocking on the door of a spot in the heavyweight rankings, the 30-year-old isn’t lacking for motivation, but has added drive after the tragic death of a young boy in Logan, where Tafa lives, in December.

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Tafa joined the rest of his close-knit community in a frantic search for the seven-year-old, who went missing from his home just a week before Christmas.

“I didn’t know him, but I’ve got a kid a year younger than that young boy,” Tafa told this masthead. “He went missing from his house. He was autistic, and non-verbal, and when he went missing, a big search went on.

“The whole community was there until midnight, searching, and then everyone was back out at five in the morning, looking around the river near his house.”

Tafa joined the rest of the community in the search for a missing boy just before Christmas. Picture: Mark Metcalfe/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

After 18 hours of desperate searching, the boy’s family, the community and Tafa’s own worst fears were horribly realised.

“Unfortunately they found his body the next day,” Tafa said. “I couldn’t sleep for those days, just knowing a young boy was helpless like that.

“My thoughts are always out, and I always try and represent the neighbourhood and the community, but I’ll definitely be thinking of him when I’m out there.”

Out of such a senseless tragedy, Tafa says the most minor moment of positivity was watching the area unite.

“That was the only positive you could try and get out of it,” he said. “Just that the whole community was out there, and to see the love that everyone had.

“To come together in busy times – and hard times too – but everyone just dropped everything.”

Tafa always represents Samoa. Picture: Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Community, and his Samoan roots, are at the heart of everything Justin ‘Bad Man’ Tafa does.

Born in Auckland to Samoan parents, he now calls Australia home, and proudly represents all three countries when he fights.

It’s a tradition taught to him by his grandfather, who, as a boxer in his younger days, became one of the first Samoan fighters to leave the island.

“Back in those days, it was a big deal,” Tafa said. “It wasn’t just plane rides everywhere, sometimes it was catching boats to other countries.

“He was a proud fighter, he really loved it, and he understood what it meant to fight.”

Tafa is coming off a stunning knockout of Austen Lane at UFC 293 in Sydney last year. Picture: Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Having grown up in Samoa, Tafa’s grandfather relocated to Auckland with 14 kids to become a truck driver.

That’s a different kind of pressure to fighting, and Tafa says he feels a sense of responsibility to make the most of his talents and the advantages his parents and grandparents never had.

“You see that kind of struggle, and you just think, ‘Man, I need strive for better. I need to do more, so that the next generation can do more too,” he said. “I have two kids, and that can be a struggle as it is, and we’ve had it all – electricity, everything.

“You get humbled going back to Samoa, seeing where they lived and how hard it was. It makes you appreciate it a bit more, and not worry about the bullshit.”

Tafa will use all that history as inspiration and motivation when he takes on 16-fight UFC veteran de Lima on the prelims to Alex Volkanovski’s featherweight title defence against Ilia Topuria this weekend.

Tafa takes on Brazilian veteran Marcos Rogerio de Lima at UFC 298 in Anaheim this weekend. Picture: Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

Unbeaten in his last four fights, Tafa is the underdog, but can catapult himself into the top 15 in the division with an impressive win.

“Marcos is almost 10 years in the UFC, so he’s more than a veteran, but this is a young man’s sport,” he said. “He’s dangerous, but it’s gonna be a good fight.

“It was a match made in heaven, because the main card is stacked as it is, but they needed someone to set off fireworks in the prelims.

“They knew what I’d bring. I’ve been on some big cards – lots of pay-per-views – and that’s a testament to how I fight. I’m coming to bring the fireworks and showcase what I’m good at, and that’s knocking people out.”

Originally published as Justin ‘Bad Man’ Tafa will honour the memory of a boy who died tragically in his hometown of Logan at UFC 298