Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) heavyweight hurter Tai Tuivasa was just one victory away from a potential shot at the 265-pound title. Instead, “Bam Bam” will head to the back of the line in the wake of his third-round knockout loss against former interim champion Ciryl Gane in the UFC Paris headliner last weekend at Accor Arena.
Doesn’t sound like the Aussie is that broken up about it.
“Bonjour Paree,” Tuivasa said while ripping a joint. “Shout out to Ciryl, he was better than me last night … or whatever night it was (laughs). Probably one of the best crowds I ever performed in front of. The fans were crazy (coughs). Appreciate all the love. Shout out to all my team, my family that came over. Shout out to everyone who helped me out. We didn’t get the win, but we’ll be back.”
Expect to see the power-punching “Shoey” king back in early 2023.
The heavyweight division is stuck in a holding pattern while the promotion figures out what to do with Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic. In addition, Francis Ngannou is still recovering from knee surgery and has yet to commit to a specific return date. Lump Gane into that equation and you have a lot of question marks heading into the fourth quarter of 2022.
Stay tuned.