Thanks to a late step-up by a British heavyweight, Tai Tuivasa still will have a chance to snap his skid on home soil.
Australian fan favorite Tai Tuivasa (14-9 MMA, 8-9 UFC) was set to take on Sean Sharaf (4-2 MMA, 0-2 UFC) next week at UFC Fight Night 275 (Paramount+) in Perth, Western Australia. But a Sharaf injury took him out and left Tuivasa, on a six-fight skid, without an opponent.
Louie Sutherland (10-5 MMA, 0-2 UFC), though, has answered the call and will make the trip Down Under for the bout at RAC Arena in Perth. UFC officials announced the replacement booking Friday.
Tuivasa’s skid is a brutal one, to be certain. It’s been more than four years since his most recent win, which was a bonus-winning knockout of former title challenger Derrick Lewis at UFC 271. That was the last of a five-fight winning streak – and the third of four straight bonuses.
But after the Lewis win, Tuivasa was finished in four straight fights by eventual and upcoming title challenger Ciryl Gane, Sergei Pavlovich, Alexander Volkov and Marcin Tybura. Then he dropped a split call to Jairzinho Rozenstruik in August 2024 before he stepped away for more than a year.
His return in January against Tallison Teixeira proved to be a valiant effort, but still a loss for six straight – clearly dangerous territory in the UFC that gets most fighters a pink slip, and usually a few fights before the skid hits six.
Sutherland, like Sharaf, has lost his first two in the UFC. This past October, he was submitted by Valter Walker with a heel hook – Walker’s fourth straight win by that finish. Just a month ago, he was knocked out in the first round by Brando Pericic in London.
With the change, the UFC Perth lineup now includes:
- Jack Della Maddalena vs. Carlos Prates
- Beneil Dariush vs. Quillan Salkilld
- Tim Elliott vs. Steve Erceg
- Shamil Gaziev vs. Brando Pericic
- Kevin Christian vs. Junior Tafa
- Jacob Malkoun vs. Gerald Meerschaert
- Robert Bryczek vs. Cam Rowston
- DomMar Fan vs. Kody Steele
- Themba Gorimbo vs. Jonathan Micallef
- Vince Morales vs. Colby Thicknesse
- Ben Johnston vs. Wes Schultz
- Louie Sutherland vs. Tai Tuivasa
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Louie Sutherland steps up for Sharaf, meets Tai Tuivasa at UFC Perth
