The UFC Vegas 27 main card featured a heavyweight clash between two men weighing in at a combined 529 pounds. While both Justin Tafa and Jared Vaderaa compete with a great deal of girth, they have shown the ability to move around and get opponents out of there quickly. That skill-set was needed for both as each entered the Octagon looking for wins following defeats in their most recent bookings. However, no finish came in this fight, but it was a highly competitive and bloody affair.
Both big men fought measured in the first couple of minutes as they looked to find their range. Halfway through the Australian started to increase his output, and tried to land some big overhand strikes. Vanderaa chose to counter strike and use kicks as the bulk of his offensive attack throughout the round. He landed several good counters and a couple of strong knees during a very close first round.
Vanderaa gets first UFC win in hard fought decision over Tafa
As the second round opened and progressed, “The Mountain” really found a groove working strikes up and down on Tafa. Near the half way point, Vanderaa landed a shot that looked to have hurt “Bad Man.” Leading Vanderaa into a rabid attack to try and finish his opponent. However, in the chaos Tafa responded with a punch that opened up a flowing cut on the left side of the American’s forehead. Opening up the cut seemed to give Tafa some confidence and he finished the round strong. Making the third pivotal in deciding the fight.
With the fight possibly on the line, the third was highly competitive as it was a battle of boxing and power punching against technical kickboxing and high output. Both scored on their strikes, but Vanderaa seemed to find a home for his kicks consistently. In each round, the 29-year-old Vanderaa landed far more strikes, however, the 27-year-old Tafa is the fighter hitting on notable power shots.
In the end, Vanderaa scoring much more on his shots was key in him earning the unanimous decision win. For the Dana White’s Contender Series contract winner, it is his first victory in the Octagon after a debut loss in February. It is also just his second decision in 12 career wins.
Tafa has lost two straight and moves to 1-3 in the promotion. His next outing in the Octagon will be a make-or-break fight. Assuming he does get one more opportunity to prove himself in the organization.
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