By Harry Kettle
– August 11, 2023
Tai Tuivasa has spoken candidly about the explosive power he experienced when taking on Sergei Pavlovich in his last fight.
When it comes to fan favorites, Tai Tuivasa is up there with the best of them. He’s a heavy hitter, he’s got a great personality, and he’s willing to put on great fights against just about anyone. In his last outing, however, things didn’t quite go his way.
In under a minute, he was finished by rising heavyweight contender Sergei Pavlovich who caught him napping in a big way. Now, as he prepares to return against Alexander Volkov in Australia next month at UFC 293, Tuivasa has given his thoughts on how the bout played out.
“That one, I was maybe a bit rushed,” Tuivasa said. “But I still trained hard. The camp was all right – I was fit. Really, all that fight was down to was who hit who first. And I was obviously trying to hit him first, but he hit me with the first hit and I knew I was f*cked.
Tuivasa gets honest
“I was just like, ‘F*cking hell.’ Then I come back and I tried to throw another big hit and then I did like, a 360-(degree) spin. I was like, ‘That is not what my head wanted.’ I was already dizzy and then did a full spin. Then it was just I hoped something hit him.”
“He hits hard. … You hear about his reach,” Tuivasa said. “He hits you from very far away where you think you’re in that zone, but you’re not, and he is. Obviously, he’s got some heavy hands behind it, and once he smells it, he can smell the blood and he just goes for it. I want him again. I didn’t get to hit him. That’s the heavyweight game. My eyes were like, ‘Where are you? Which one is it?’”
Quotes via MMA Junkie
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