Justin Tafa

Justin Tafa (born 13 December 1993) is an Australian-New Zealand professional mixed martial artist.

[6] He played for the Marist Saints in the junior Auckland Rugby League[7] and was signed to the Melbourne Storm.

[8][9] Tafa's athletic career began in rugby league, and he was signed to the Melbourne Storm and played in the under-20s competition but a run of injuries left him disillusioned with the sport.

[10] Tafa made his professional debut at XFC 30, with a second-round stoppage of Dylan Tiaaleaiga.

[11] Tafa was scheduled to make his first title defense against David Taumoepeau on 24 May 2019, at XFC 41.

[15] For his second fight with the promotion, Tafa faced Juan Adams on 8 February 2020, at UFC 247.

[32] Tafa pulled out due to undisclosed reasons and was replaced by promotional newcomer Hamdy Abdelwahab.

[36] Less than thirty seconds into the bout, Lane accidentally eyepoked Tafa who was unable to continue, resulting in a no contest.

[40] Tafa was scheduled to face Marcos Rogério de Lima on 17 February 2024, at UFC 298.

[45] Replacing Marcos Rogério de Lima, Tafa was scheduled to face Kennedy Nzechukwu on 26 October 2024 at UFC 308.