This past Saturday on the main card of UFC 305, we saw a fun heavyweight matchup between two of the more entertaining heavyweights in the top fifteen. Strikers went to war as Jairzinho Rozenstruik (15-5) took on Tai Tuivasa (14-8).
Tuivasa was in desperate need of a victory. His career has been very up and down with him being in a severe slump at the moment. He was fighting in his home country and he had an opponent who would stand and strike with him. That said, Tuivasa needed to make this striking match a brawl and not get too technical.
In the first round, he was way too patient and allowed Rozenstruik to outpoint. The second round, he started turning things on and that seemed to get him some momentum. However, he hurt his foot on a kick and Rozenstruik pounced to steal the round in the eyes of many.
Maybe because of the foot or maybe he was just hurt, but Tuivasa never really got going in the final round. Somehow, one judge at UFC 305 gave him all three rounds. That scorecard was so bad the judge was removed from the event. However, the other two judges got it right and Tuivasa suffered his fifth straight loss.
What’s next after UFC 305?
The rollercoaster career of Tai Tuivasa continued on Saturday night. When he made his UFC debut, he was a perfect 6-0 and then he won his first three fights. After that, he lost three in a row and was on the verge of getting cut by the promotion. That’s when he really turned his career around.
Tuivasa won five in a row including a knockout over the knockout king Derrick Lewis. This stretch had Tuivasa on the verge of a title shot. He headlined UFC Paris against Ciryl Gane and even dropped Gane in that matchup. However, he ultimately lost by TKO and that’s started this five-fight losing streak.
With that in mind, what should be next for him? I think someone along the lines of a Karl Williams could be a good next opponent. Honestly, I think the UFC should look outside the rankings for Tuivasa’s next opponent. Williams won his first three fights inside the octagon before losing to kickboxer Jhonata Diniz earlier this month. I think this would be a good next step for Bam Bam.