Heavyweight contender Tai Tuivasa will need to shed significant weight before stepping back into the octagon for his next bout.
The seasoned fighter is currently on a five-fight losing streak and is not expected to compete in 2025. The 32-year-old Australian shared in an interview on The Ariel Helwani Show that while he hopes to resume his career soon, he is currently well above the official limit for his division.
“I’m going to go back into the cage,” Tuivasa stated. “I’m going to aim for the start of next year.”
Addressing his current physique, he added, “Look at me, I need to get back in the gym. I need to get ready.” He estimated his weight to be around 140 kg, or roughly 308 pounds, acknowledging, “It’s big, whatever it is, I don’t know, it’s big.”
Tuivasa faces considerable challenges, both inside and outside the cage, to achieve his professional goals. After a strong run from 2020 to 2022 that included five consecutive knockout victories, his momentum has reversed. Since his knockout win over Derrick Lewis, which positioned him near title contention, Tuivasa has suffered losses to prominent contenders Ciryl Gane, Sergei Pavlovich, Alexander Volkov, Marcin Tybura, and Jairzinho Rozenstruik.
His recent series of defeats is a key reason why he chose not to rush back into competition following his last fight in August.
“Definitely, that’s why I needed this break,” Tuivasa explained. “I feel much better now I’ve had this break. It’s kind of grounded me a little bit in what I want to do.” He mentioned focusing on his businesses, which provided time away from training and fighting. “But we’re fighters, so it’s naturally in me and I’m kind of missing it now,” he admitted.
“I definitely want to get back into it, but I want to come back and I’ve got something to prove. I’m not done yet.”
The loss to Rozenstruik was particularly frustrating for Tuivasa, as he delivered a rather uninspired performance over three rounds, ultimately losing a decision. The fight was scored a split decision only due to a highly questionable scorecard from judge Howie Booth, who was subsequently removed from judging duties for the rest of the event.
Tuivasa regrets not just the loss, but specifically letting the fight go to a decision.
“I think after the last fight where I was like, ‘F*ck, I should have smashed him,’ I was like, ‘I need a break to get back to why I want to do this,’” Tuivasa reflected. “Winning is winning and losing is losing, but going out there, it takes a toll on you, it takes a toll on your team, I needed to just get back to ground level.” He feels he has reached that point now, despite acknowledging, “The only thing is I’ve got a bit of kilos on.”
