LAS VEGAS, NEVADA- Junior Tafa scored his second Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) win last night (Sat., Oct. 12, 2024) at UFC Vegas 98, when he knocked out UFC newcomer Sean Sharaf in the second round from inside the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Check out the finish below:
Junior Tafa stops Sean Sharaf pic.twitter.com/Z4xJwklJQt
— MMA Mania (@mmamania) October 12, 2024
The fight itself was pretty bad and sloppy. Sharaf dominated Tafa in the first round and almost stopped him; however, the referee let it go on. At the start of the second round, both Heavyweights were huffing and puffing and could barely stand – it resembled Kimbo Slice vs. Dada 5000 a lot.
Tafa gave some insight into the second round after the fight with UFC.com.
“Going out into that next round, I couldn’t feel my legs coming off the stool,” Tafa said. “So, it was more like, ‘f—k,’ and then I thought of my kids. If I don’t win this, man, then my kids are back on the noodles.”
“Going out into that next round, I couldn’t feel my legs.”
Junior Tafa (@JuniorTafa) overcame adversity and delivered on short notice at #UFCVegas98, stopping Sean Sharaf in the second round.
Results, Interviews & More ??: https://t.co/KhV94QM7lY
— UFC News (@UFCNews) October 12, 2024
Tafa also revealed that his foot got caught in the cage in the first round, and he fell on it, which hampered him from moving while Sharaf was raining down blows.
Nevertheless, it was a must-win fight for the 28-year-old New Zealander, who was riding a two-fight losing streak. Tafa is 2-3 in UFC but still holds a 100% finish rate.
For complete UFC Vegas 98 results, coverage, and highlights, click HERE.