Junior Tafa
Birth namePascall Saumani Milo Jr.
Birth date21 September 1996 (age 30)
Birth placeAvondale, Auckland, New Zealand
NationalityAustralian
Height6 ft 3 in
Weight249 lbs
Weight classLight Heavyweight
Heavyweight
Reach72 in
StyleBoxing, Muay Thai
StanceOrthodox
Fighting out ofBrisbane, Queensland, Australia
TeamSoma Fight Club
TrainerMike Ikilei
Years active2017–present
Box win1
Box kowin1
Box loss0
Box draw1
Kickbox win23
Kickbox kowin19
Kickbox loss5
Kickbox koloss2
Mma kowin7
Mma koloss1
Mma subloss3
Mma decloss1
Boxrec801549
Sherdog408471

Pascall Saumani Milo Jr.[1] (born 21 September 1996), known as Junior Tafa, is an Australian mixed martial artist, former professional kickboxer and boxer who currently competes in the Heavyweight and Light Heavyweight divisions of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

Background

Junior Tafa is the brother of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) heavyweight, Justin Tafa. He is of Samoan descent.[2] He and his siblings were raised by a single mother, Pouli Amanda Tafa.[3]

Kickboxing career

Tafa participated in the 2018 Glory four man heavyweight tournament, alongside D'Angelo Marshall, Guto Inocente and Benjamin Adegbuyi.[4] Tafa lost his semi-final fight to Inocente, but advanced due to Inocente suffering a cut during their bout.[5] In the finals he met Benjamin Adegbuyi. Adegbuyi focused on landing leg kicks, and won the fight in the second round by TKO, after dropping Tafa three times.[6]

On December 8, 2018, he entered the Glory 62 Heavyweight tournament[7] He lost in the quarter final against Jamal Ben Saddik by TKO second round.[8]

Tafa faced Cihad Kepenek at Glory 65: Utrecht on May 17, 2019.[9] He lost the fight by unanimous decision.[10]

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Debuting in July 2022, Tafa won his first two bouts on the Australian regional scene, both by TKO stoppages.

Tafa then faced Nicolas Djurdjević on November 26, 2022, at BRAVE CF 66. He won the bout via TKO stoppage two minutes into the bout.[11]

Tafa faced Tsuyoshi Sudario on December 31, 2022, at Rizin 40.[12] He won the fight by TKO via punches in the first round.[13]

Ultimate Fighting Championship

In January 2023, it was announced that Tafa had signed with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He was scheduled to make his promotional debut against Austen Lane at UFC 284 on February 11, 2023.[14] However, Lane withdrew due to undisclosed reasons and was replaced by Waldo Cortes-Acosta.[15] In turn, it was announced a few days later that Tafa withdrew due to injury and the bout was scrapped.[16]

Tafa faced Mohammed Usman on April 22, 2023, at UFC Fight Night 222.[17] Tafa lost bout via unanimous decision.[18]

Tafa faced Parker Porter on August 26, 2023, at UFC Fight Night 225.[19] He won the bout via knockout in the first round.[20] This win which earned him a Performance of the Night award.[21]

Tafa, on one day's notice, faced Marcos Rogério de Lima, replacing his injured brother Justin Tafa, on February 17, 2024, at UFC 298.[22][23] He lost the bout by technical knockout in round two.[24]

Tafa was scheduled to face Karl Williams on March 23, 2024, at UFC on ESPN 53.[25] However, Tafa was pulled from the event due to injury and he was replaced by his brother Justin Tafa.[26]

Tafa faced Valter Walker on August 18, 2024, at UFC 305.[27] After Tafa screamed in pain, the referee called off the fight resulting in Tafa losing the fight via a heel hook technical submission at the end of the first round.[28]

Replacing Waldo Cortes-Acosta and on short notice, Tafa was scheduled to face Chris Barnett on October 12, 2024 at UFC Fight Night 244.[29] However, Barnett withdrew after being unable to travel due to Hurricane Milton and was replaced by UFC newcomer Sean Sharaf.[30] Tafa won the fight by technical knockout in the second round.[31]

Tafa was expected to face Tuco Tokkos in a light heavyweight bout on May 3, 2025 at UFC on ESPN 67.[32] However, the bout was removed from the card as a result of injuries from both fighters.[33] The pairing was rescheduled and eventually took place on July 12, 2025 at UFC on ESPN 70.[34] Tafa lost the fight via an arm-triangle choke submission in the second round.[35]

Tafa was scheduled to face İbo Aslan on September 28, 2025 at UFC Fight Night 260.[36] However, the bout was canceled due to an injury with Tafa.[37]

Tafa faced Billy Elekana on February 1, 2026 at UFC 325.[38] He lost the fight via a second round rear-naked choke submission.[39]

Tafa faced Kevin Christian on May 2, 2026, at UFC Fight Night 275. He won the fight via knockout in round one.[40]

Replacing Billy Elekana who withdrew for undisclosed reasons, Tafa is scheduled to face Iwo Baraniewski on June 6, 2026 at UFC Fight Night 278.[41]

Mixed martial arts record

|- |Win |align=center|7–5 |Kevin Christian |KO (punches and elbows) |UFC Fight Night: Della Maddalena vs. Prates |May 2, 2026 |align=center|1 |align=center|2:41 |Perth, Australia | |- |Loss |align=center|6–5 |Billy Elekana |Submission (rear-naked choke) |UFC 325 |February 1, 2026 |align=center|2 |align=center|3:18 |Sydney, Australia | |- |Loss |align=center|6–4 |Tuco Tokkos |Submission (arm-triangle choke) |UFC on ESPN: Lewis vs. Teixeira |July 12, 2025 |align=center|2 |align=center|4:25 |Nashville, Tennessee, United States |Return to Light Heavyweight. |- |Win |align=center|6–3 |Sean Sharaf |TKO (punches) |UFC Fight Night: Royval vs. Taira |October 12, 2024 |align=center|2 |align=center|2:15 |Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |- |Loss |align=center|5–3 |Valter Walker |Submission (heel hook) |UFC 305 |August 18, 2024 |align=center|1 |align=center|4:56 |Perth, Australia | |- |Loss |align=center|5–2 |Marcos Rogério de Lima |TKO (leg kick and punches) |UFC 298 |February 17, 2024 |align=center|2 |align=center|1:14 |Anaheim, California, United States | |- |Win |align=center|5–1 |Parker Porter |KO (punch) |UFC Fight Night: Holloway vs. The Korean Zombie |August 26, 2023 |align=center|1 |align=center|1:24 |Kallang, Singapore |Performance of the Night. |- |Loss |align=center|4–1 |Mohammed Usman |Decision (unanimous) |UFC Fight Night: Pavlovich vs. Blaydes |April 22, 2023 |align=center|3 |align=center|5:00 |Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |- |Win |align=center|4–0 |Tsuyoshi Sudario |TKO (punches) |Rizin 40 |December 31, 2022 |align=center|1 |align=center|1:38 |Saitama, Japan | |- |Win |align=center|3–0 |Nicolas Djurdjević |TKO (punches) |Brave CF 66 |November 26, 2022 |align=center|1 |align=center|2:02 |Bali, Indonesia | |- |Win |align=center|2–0 |Kelvin Fitial |KO (punches) |Hex Fight Series 23 |August 5, 2022 |align=center|2 |align=center|4:36 |Melbourne, Australia |Heavyweight debut. |- |Win |align=center|1–0 |Taisei Sekino |TKO (punches) |Beatdown Promotions 1 |July 9, 2022 |align=center|1 |align=center|1:06 |Eatons Hill, Australia |Light Heavyweight debut. |-

[42]

Professional boxing record

No.ResultRecordOpponentTypeRound, timeDateLocationNotes
2Win1–0–1David TuliloaTKO3 (4)15 Sep 2022Nissan Arena, Nathan, Australia
1Draw0–0–1Jayden JosephSD43 Jun 2017Melbourne Park Function Centre, Melbourne, Australia

Kickboxing & Muay Thai record

|- style="background:#cfc;" |2021-04-24 |Win |style="text-align:left;"| Christian Balz |Eruption Muay Thai 20 |Brisbane, Australia |KO (Right cross) |align=center|1 |align=center|0:55

|- style="background:#cfc;" |2020-12-11 |Win |style="text-align:left;"| Callum Godfrey |Eruption Muay Thai 2019 |Brisbane, Australia |KO (Right hook) |1 |0:24

|- style="background:#FFBBBB;" |2019-05-17 |Loss |style="text-align:left;"| Cihad Kepenek |Glory 65: Utrecht | Utrecht, Netherlands | Decision (Unanimous) |3 |3:00

|- style="background:#FFBBBB;" |2018-12-18 |Loss | style="text-align:left;"| Jamal Ben Saddik |Glory 62: Rotterdam, Heavyweight Tournament Quarter-Finals |Rotterdam, Netherlands |TKO (2 Knockdowns) |1 |2:55

|- style="background:#cfc;" |2018-09-14 |Win |style="text-align:left;"| Haze Wilson |Glory 58: Chicago | Chicago, Illinois, United States | TKO (Referee stoppage) |1 |1:35

|- style="background:#cfc;" |2018-07-20 |Win | style="text-align:left;"| Anthony McDonald |Glory 55: New York |New York City, United States |TKO (3 Knockdowns) |1 |2:20

|- style="background:#FFBBBB;" |2018-02-16 |Loss |style="text-align:left;"| Benjamin Adegbuyi |Glory 50: Chicago, Heavyweight Contender Tournament Final |Chicago, Illinois, United States |TKO (leg kicks) |2 |0:31

|- style="background:#FFBBBB;" |2018-02-16 |Loss |style="text-align:left;"| Guto Inocente |Glory 50: Chicago, Heavyweight Contender Tournament Semi-final |Chicago, Illinois, United States | Decision (unanimous) |3 |3:00

|- style="background:#cfc;" |2017-10-14 |Win |style="text-align:left;"| Quanchao Luo |Glory 46: China |Guangzhou, China | TKO (three knockdowns) |1 |1:34

|- style="background:#cfc;" |2017-04-28 |Win |style="text-align:left;"| Johnny Waipouri |Eruption Muay Thai 14 |Mansfield, Australia | KO |1 |

|- style="background:#cfc;" |2016-11-19 |Win |style="text-align:left;"| Ricky Barclay |Muay Thai Warriors Action 18 |Toowoomba, Australia | Decision (Unanimous) |3 |3:00

|- style="background:#cfc;" |2016-08-19 |Win |style="text-align:left;"| Hamad Alloush |Kings of Kombat 18 |Melbourne, Australia | KO (Right cross) |1 |0:25

|- style="background:#cfc;" |2015-12-05 |Win |style="text-align:left;"| Jacob Francis |Caged Muay Thai 7 |Brisbane, Australia | KO (Right cross) |1 |1:40 |- ! style=background:white colspan=9 |Wins the Caged Muay Thai Heavyweight title.

|- style="background:#fbb;" |2015-05-16 |Loss |style="text-align:left;"| Leo Aholelei |Muay Thai Action 15 |Toowoomba, Australia | Decision |3 |3:00 |- ! style=background:white colspan=9 |For the WKA K-1 South Pacific Heavyweight title.

|- style="background:#cfc;" |2014-12-06 |Win |style="text-align:left;"| Aaron Cannings |Caged Muay Thai 5 |Brisbane, Australia | TKO (punches) |3 |0:13 |- | colspan=9 | Legend:

See also

References

  1. ^ "Junior Tafa ("The Juggernaut") | MMA Fighter Page". Tapology. Retrieved 2024-09-22.
  2. ^ "Kiwi Justin Tafa's journey from NRL prospect to UFC heavyweight". Stuff.co.nz. 9 February 2020.
  3. ^ [1]
  4. ^ "Junior Tafa to appear in eight-man heavyweight tournament at Glory 62 in Rotterdam". sportingnews.com. 24 October 2018. Retrieved 28 September 2020.
  5. ^ "GLORY 50 results: Grigorian TKO's Groenhart, wins WW title". fightmag.com.au. Archived from the original on 8 October 2020. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
  6. ^ "Junior Tafa Looking for Rematch With Benjamin Adegbuyi". kickboxingz.com. Archived from the original on 11 November 2022. Retrieved 28 September 2020.
  7. ^ Williams, Shar. "GLORY Returns to Rotterdam with Eight-Man Heavyweight Tournament". combatpress.com. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
  8. ^ "GLORY 62 Results: Ben Saddik Captures Heavyweight Tournament". combatpress.com. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
  9. ^ van Dinter, Sean (6 April 2019). "GLORY 65 Utrecht: Junior Tafa treft Cihad Kepenek". vechtsportinfo.nl. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
  10. ^ "Glory'de Cihad Kepenek Rüzgarı". fightclub.com.tr. 18 May 2019. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
  11. ^ AlexBehunin (2022-11-27). "Highlights! Watch Mini Tafa Score Another First Round Finish Ahead Of RIZIN Debut". MMAmania.com. Retrieved 2022-11-28.
  12. ^ "【RIZIN】大みそかBellator対抗戦の最後のカードは武田光司！ 榊原CEOも期待「満場一致でお願いしたい」（オリコン）" (in Japanese). Yahoo!ニュース. Archived from the original on 12 November 2022. Retrieved 2022-11-12.
  13. ^ "【RIZIN】スダリオ剛が98秒KO負け！マーク・ハント門下のジュニア・タファの剛腕に沈む（ゴング格闘技）" (in Japanese). Yahoo!ニュース. Retrieved 2023-01-02.
  14. ^ "Junior Tafa firma contrato con UFC, enfrenta a Austen Lane en UFC 284" (in Spanish). MMA.uno, #1 En noticias de Artes Marciales Mixtas (MMA) en Español.. 16 January 2023. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
  15. ^ Steve Duncan (2023-01-20). "Change of plans: Junior Tafa will face Waldo Cortes-Acosta at UFC 284". mma.uno. Retrieved 2023-01-20. (in Spanish)
  16. ^ Carlos Contreras Legaspi (2023-02-08). "UFC: Waldo Cortés-Acosta will face Marcos Rogerio 'Pezao' de Lima in April". espndeportes.espn.com. Retrieved 2023-02-09. (in Spanish)
  17. ^ "UFC Fight Night 222 adds heavyweight bout Junior Tafa vs. Mohammed Usman". MMA Junkie. 2023-03-24. Retrieved 2023-04-08.
  18. ^ Pillay, Byron (2023-04-22). "Nigeria's Mohammed Usman Secures Victory Over Junior Tafa at UFC Fight Night". SportsBrief - Sport news.. Retrieved 2023-04-24.
  19. ^ "UFC Matchmaking Bulletin (7/10-7/16): Charles Jourdain Returns Against Ricardo Ramos, Three Cancellations". MMA News | UFC News, Results & Interviews. Retrieved 2023-08-18.
  20. ^ Theodosi, Jamie (2023-08-26). "Parker Porter Gets First Round KO'd By A Tafa For The Second Time This Year". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2023-08-26.
  21. ^ Matt Erickson (2023-08-26). "UFC Fight Night 225 bonuses: Max Holloway's Fight of Night dedicated to Lahaina, Maui". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2023-08-26.
  22. ^ Cruz, Guilherme (2023-11-21). "Justin Tafa vs. Marcos Rogerio de Lima added to UFC 298". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2023-11-22.
  23. ^ Nolan King and Mike Bohn (2024-02-16). "Junior Tafa steps into UFC 298 matchup on one day's notice after brother injured". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2024-02-16.
  24. ^ Jay Anderson (2024-02-17). "UFC 298: Marcos Rogerio de Lima Decimates Junior Tafa with Calf Kicks". casesidepress.com. Retrieved 2024-02-17.
  25. ^ Newswire, MMA Fighting (2024-01-30). "UFC Vegas 88: Ribas vs. Namajunas full card confirmed". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2024-01-31.
  26. ^ Heck, Mike (2024-03-03). "Justin Tafa returns the favor, steps in for brother Junior to face Karl Williams at UFC Vegas 89". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2024-03-04.
  27. ^ Christopher Reive (2024-07-01). "UFC 305: Kai Kara-France books return against Steve Erceg in Perth; seven more bouts confirmed". nzherald.co.nz. Retrieved 2024-07-01.
  28. ^ Jay Anderson (2024-08-17). "UFC 305: Junior Tafa Scream Results in Technical Submission Win for Valter Walker". cagesidepress.com. Retrieved 2024-08-18.
  29. ^ Nolan King (2024-09-29). "Chris Barnett gets new opponent for UFC Fight Night 244". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2024-09-29.
  30. ^ Brendan Bradford (2024-10-08). "Junior Tafa’s reaction to Chris Barnett pulling out of this weekend’s UFC". ntnews.com.au. Retrieved 2024-10-09.
  31. ^ Shawn Bitter (2024-10-12). "UFC Vegas 98: Exhausted Junior Tafa Finishes Equally Spent Sean Sharaf in Grueling Slugfest". cagesidepress.com. Retrieved 2024-10-12.
  32. ^ Michael Aldon (2025-02-26). "UFC Fighter Facing Release Takes on Much Bigger Opponent". athlonsports.com. Retrieved 2025-02-26.
  33. ^ Nolan King (2025-04-29). "UFC Des Moines loses fight due to double injuries". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2025-04-29.
  34. ^ Jed Meshew (2025-05-27). "UFC Nashville adds several new fights to card headlined by Derrick Lewis vs. Tallison Teixeira". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2025-05-27.
  35. ^ Eddie Law (2025-07-12). "Tuco Tokkos Gets First UFC Win, Submits Tafa In Round 2". cagesidepress.com. Retrieved 2025-07-12.
  36. ^ Samet Kaplan (2025-08-05). "İbo Aslan – Junior Tafa maçı ne zaman, saat kaçta ve hangi kanalda?". aksam.com.tr. Retrieved 2025-08-05. (in Turkish)
  37. ^ Hannoun, Farah. "Injury scraps Ibo Aslan vs. Junior Tafa from UFC Fight Night 260 in Perth". MMA Junkie. Retrieved 2025-09-18.
  38. ^ James Cooney (2025-12-07). "Kiwi in fight of the year contender, Aussies galore as stacked card for UFC's Sydney return revealed". foxsports.com.au. Retrieved 2025-12-07.
  39. ^ Eddie Law (2026-02-01). "Billy Elekana Spoils Junior Tafa’s Bounce-Back Bid With Submission Win at UFC 325". cagesidepress.com. Retrieved 2026-02-01.
  40. ^ Staff (2026-05-02). "UFC Perth: Junior Tafa Smashes Kevin Christian, Returns to Win Column". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2026-05-02.
  41. ^ Bartlomiej Stachura (2026-05-22). "Zle wcale nie jest, bo dostajemy… Czas! Jak mocny jest Junior Tafa, nowy rywal Iwo Baraniewskiego?". lowking.pl. Retrieved 2026-05-23. (in Polish)
  42. ^ "Junior Tafa MMA Stats". Sherdog. Retrieved 6 June 2022.