HOUSTON – Justin Tafa’s UFC debut didn’t go as planned.
The heavyweight suffered a knockout loss in his first fight with the UFC, which went down in October at UFC 243 in Melbourne, Australia. Tafa (3-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) lost to Yorgan De Castro in the first round of their pay-per-view main card bout.
The Aussie admits mistakes were made in his first loss.
“I was popping off on him and all that, but I was just a bit rushed,” Tafa told MMA Junkie on Wednesday . “I still would’ve gone in for the kill, maybe if I had a more time in that octagon. It’s just a bit different. All my previous fights were like half the size of that octagon. So I could’ve done better executing some moves, but it is what it is. Man, I thought I had him hurt, and I wanted to put on a big knockout, and I was the one that got knocked out.”
Tafa had just three professional fights heading into UFC 243, which holds the record for most attended UFC event. It was a giant moment for the 26-year-old fighter.
“I had a good chat with Mark Hunt in December, and he was like, ‘At least that’s the worst it can go,’ and that’s the best way to put it,” Tafa said. “For me, the last event wasn’t so much the amount of people and all that. It was much more about what it meant to me, fighting so close to home. It was just that feeling.”
Once again, Tafa has been put on the big stage as he’s on the main card of a UFC pay-per-view. He takes on Houston’s own Juan Adams in the last fight before the co-main and main events of UFC 247, which is being headlined by Jon Jones vs. Dominick Reyes.
Despite his lack of experience, Tafa doesn’t see it as burden but as a chance to show people what he’s made of.
“I kept seeing it on the previous pay-per-view (UFC 246). I was watching ‘Cowboy’ and Conor’s one, and I was like, ‘What? Is my name third? They’ll probably finalize it (and change the order of the card), but no. It’s main card, so just have to take this opportunity and run with it.”
Tafa wants a UFC win more than anything, but he wants to do it in vintage heavyweight fashion.
“I just want to knock him out,” Tafa said. “Whether it’s in the first or the third round, I just want to finish fights.
“If it goes to decision, I’ll be happy, but I just want to give the crowd what they want. We’re heavyweight bangers, and I think that’s why they put us on the main card, because the heavyweights will always try to throw down and knock each other out.”
