MELBOURNE, Australia – Few know a good time like Tai Tuivasa.
Tuivasa (10-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC) takes on Sergey Spivak (9-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) on Saturday night (Sunday locally) at UFC 243, and the knockout artist plans on taking Spivak out, then most likely celebrating with a few “shoeys” with the crowd in Melbourne, Australia.
“Ideally: Go out, touch his skin, he goes to sleep, and we get pissed,” Tuivasa told MMA Junkie on Friday. “Simple as that.”
Despite entering the fight on a two-fight skid, Tuivasa is not fazed. He’s coming off back-to-back losses to former UFC heavyweight champion Junior Dos Santos and, most recently former WSOF champ Blagoy Ivanov in June.
“It is what it is,” Tuivasa said. “I’ve suffered many losses in life outside of fighting and I think that’s made me adapt to life better than others, and I can handle things better than others. And man – I’ve lost to two champions. No one can say (expletive). I’ve lost to two champions, and they ain’t no slouches. I’m also 26 years old.”
Tuivasa implemented strength and conditioning into his game in hopes to turn things around. Still learning on the job, he views the losses as lessons as opposed to setbacks.
“I’ve been focusing on myself,” Tuivasa said. “I’ve been bettering my game and learning more and more everyday. As many people know, I come to MMA – I have no background in martial arts. I’ve got background in exchanging hands, and every day I’m learning more, and every day I’m falling in love with the sport more and more.”
Tuivasa takes on Spivak, who’s visibly the larger man. But that’s been the case for most of Tuivasa’s opponents.
“This is the UFC. This is the pinnacle of fighting, so I never underestimate my opponents,” Tuivasa said. “I don’t think I’ve always been the biggest guy in my fights, so I’m used to these big guys. I’m bigger, as in fatter, but it doesn’t matter how big you are. If you get touched, you get touched.
“I’m going to be focusing on myself, and I think it’s going to be a hard time for Spivak.”
Tuivasa often is called “Shoeyvasa” for his habit of drinking out of shoes in celebrations. He doesn’t mind the moniker, but believes his performances have shown that he can hang with the best.
And he’s not done yet.
“If I drink out of shoes, I drink out of shoes,” Tuivasa said. “I do that for fun, but my fighting also speaks for itself. I’ve headlined a card, I’ve fought for one year, I think I’m doing all right. Losing is losing – it’s not going to hold me down.”
