Tai Tuivasa

Tai “Bam Bam” Tuivasa is the most entertaining heavyweight in the UFC, and the only fighter in the promotion whose post-fight celebrations are arguably more famous than his finishes — which is saying something, because his finishes are spectacular. Born on March 16, 1993, in Western Sydney, Tuivasa brings a knockout-or-bust philosophy to the heavyweight division that has produced 13 KO/TKO victories and a “shoey” beer-from-a-shoe celebration that has become one of the most iconic rituals in all of combat sports.

Tuivasa’s career is a rollercoaster engineered by a madman — five consecutive knockouts to start his UFC career, including a devastating KO of former champion Junior dos Santos, followed by a painful losing streak, followed by a resurrection featuring some of the most spectacular finishes in heavyweight history. The knockout of Derrick Lewis at UFC 271 remains one of the most replayed clips in UFC history. His most recent outing — a unanimous decision loss to Tallison Teixeira at UFC 325 in Sydney on February 1, 2026, after an 18-month layoff — was a reminder that even Bam Bam cannot knock everyone out.

With a record of 14-9, Tuivasa’s win-loss ratio does not capture his value. He is a walking event, a cultural icon from Western Sydney whose Samoan-Australian heritage and absolute fearlessness in the Octagon have made him one of the most popular fighters on any card, anywhere in the world. Win or lose, Bam Bam delivers. The shoey is merely the exclamation mark on the entertainment.

Fight Record

Fighter Profile

Tai Tuivasa competes in the Heavyweight division with 14 wins from 23 UFC appearances, 13 of them by knockout, because Bam Bam does not believe in leaving it to the judges. The Western Sydney product is a walking highlight reel, a cultural phenomenon, and the most entertaining heavyweight in the UFC. The record does not capture the magic. The shoey does.

VS — Chief sports columnist, australiafootball.com