Heavyweights
Justin Tafa (7-5, 1 NC) vs. Louie Sutherland (10-3)Odds: Tafa (-120); Sutherland (+100)
Aussie fan favorite Tafa meets Sutherland, who steps up on short notice for Ibo Aslan, in the heavyweight main card opener of UFC Perth.
The elder Tafa brother’s career arc in the UFC seems to be descending. He joined the promotion six years ago and went 1-3 in his first four bouts, all of them against fighters who subsequently washed out of the UFC. He seemed headed for a similar fate, but was given another contract, and rewarded the UFC’s faith by winning three of his next four against more of the lowest-level heavyweights on roster. The pendulum has now swung the other way, with back-to-back losses including a 35-second thrashing at the hands (well, knees and elbows) of Tallison Teixeira in February.
Tafa’s approach is as basic as it gets. Short and compact for a heavyweight, he swings murderously hard with both hands, and has hard leg kicks when he remembers to use them, but his defense is poor. That being the case, most of his fights go until one guy lands a big enough shot to put the other in trouble.
Sutherland is an interesting addition to the roster. Much like his countryman and now fellow UFC talent, Mick Parkin, “The Vanilla Gorilla” is a hulking heavyweight who is more nimble, and a more technical boxer than you would guess, but conversely, does not have the massive power his frame and record might imply.
On the face of it, Sutherland is a winnable fight for Tafa, who tends to struggle with fighters who have a serious size advantage on him and/or can hit at least as hard as he can on a shot-for-shot basis. Sutherland is a bit taller than Tafa but he’s no Teixeira, and Tafa should definitely have the edge in raw punching power.
Having said that, the pick here is for the slight upset; unless Tafa can land a haymaker that puts Sutherland away or at least turns the fight on its head, the rounds are likely to go to the busier, more accurate fighter, and that should be Sutherland. Give me the Brit by decision.
Jump To »
Ulberg vs. Reyes
Jenkins vs. Taveras
Crute vs. Erslan
Matthews vs. Magny
Nolan vs. Campbell
Tafa vs. Sutherland
The Prelims