Junior Tafa
New Zealand-born Australian mixed martial artist
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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).
| Junior Tafa | |
|---|---|
| Born | Pascall Saumani Milo Jr. 21 September 1996 Avondale, Auckland, New Zealand |
| Nickname | The Juggernaut |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) |
| Weight | 249 lb (113 kg; 17 st 11 lb) |
| Division | Light Heavyweight Heavyweight |
| Reach | 72 in (183 cm) |
| Style | Boxing, Muay Thai |
| Fighting out of | Brisbane, Queensland, Australia |
| Team | Soma Fight Club |
| Trainer | Mike Ikilei |
| Years active | 2017–present |
| Professional boxing record | |
| Total | 2 |
| Wins | 1 |
| By knockout | 1 |
| Losses | 0 |
| Draws | 1 |
| Kickboxing record | |
| Total | 28 |
| Wins | 23 |
| By knockout | 19 |
| Losses | 5 |
| By knockout | 2 |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 12 |
| Wins | 7 |
| By knockout | 7 |
| Losses | 5 |
| By knockout | 1 |
| By submission | 3 |
| By decision | 1 |
| Other information | |
| Boxing record from BoxRec | |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
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
| 12 matches | 7 wins | 5 losses |
| By knockout | 7 | 1 |
| By submission | 0 | 3 |
| By decision | 0 | 1 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 7–5 | Kevin Christian | KO (punches and elbows) | UFC Fight Night: Della Maddalena vs. Prates | May 2, 2026 | 1 | 2:41 | Perth, Australia | |
| Loss | 6–5 | Billy Elekana | Submission (rear-naked choke) | UFC 325 | February 1, 2026 | 2 | 3:18 | Sydney, Australia | |
| Loss | 6–4 | Tuco Tokkos | Submission (arm-triangle choke) | UFC on ESPN: Lewis vs. Teixeira | July 12, 2025 | 2 | 4:25 | Nashville, Tennessee, United States | Return to Light Heavyweight. |
| Win | 6–3 | Sean Sharaf | TKO (punches) | UFC Fight Night: Royval vs. Taira | October 12, 2024 | 2 | 2:15 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Loss | 5–3 | Valter Walker | Submission (heel hook) | UFC 305 | August 18, 2024 | 1 | 4:56 | Perth, Australia | |
| Loss | 5–2 | Marcos Rogério de Lima | TKO (leg kick and punches) | UFC 298 | February 17, 2024 | 2 | 1:14 | Anaheim, California, United States | |
| Win | 5–1 | Parker Porter | KO (punch) | UFC Fight Night: Holloway vs. The Korean Zombie | August 26, 2023 | 1 | 1:24 | Kallang, Singapore | Performance of the Night. |
| Loss | 4–1 | Mohammed Usman | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Pavlovich vs. Blaydes | April 22, 2023 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 4–0 | Tsuyoshi Sudario | TKO (punches) | Rizin 40 | December 31, 2022 | 1 | 1:38 | Saitama, Japan | |
| Win | 3–0 | Nicolas Djurdjević | TKO (punches) | Brave CF 66 | November 26, 2022 | 1 | 2:02 | Bali, Indonesia | |
| Win | 2–0 | Kelvin Fitial | KO (punches) | Hex Fight Series 23 | August 5, 2022 | 2 | 4:36 | Melbourne, Australia | Heavyweight debut. |
| Win | 1–0 | Taisei Sekino | TKO (punches) | Beatdown Promotions 1 | July 9, 2022 | 1 | 1:06 | Eatons Hill, Australia | Light Heavyweight debut. |
Professional boxing record
| 2 fights | 1 win | 0 losses |
|---|---|---|
| By knockout | 1 | 0 |
| Draws | 1 | |
| No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Win | 1–0–1 |  David Tuliloa |
TKO | 3 (4) | 15 Sep 2022 | Nissan Arena, Nathan, Australia |
|
| 1 | Draw | 0–0–1 | Jayden Joseph |
SD | 4 | 3 Jun 2017 | Melbourne Park Function Centre, Melbourne, Australia |
Kickboxing & Muay Thai record
| 23 Wins (19 (T)KOs), 5 Losses, 0 Draws | ||||||||
| Date | Result | Opponent | Event | Location | Method | Round | Time | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-04-24 | Win | Christian Balz |
Eruption Muay Thai 20 | Brisbane, Australia | KO (Right cross) | 1 | 0:55 | |
| 2020-12-11 | Win | Callum Godfrey |
Eruption Muay Thai 2019 | Brisbane, Australia | KO (Right hook) | 1 | 0:24 | |
| 2019-05-17 | Loss |  Cihad Kepenek |
Glory 65: Utrecht | Utrecht, Netherlands | Decision (Unanimous) | 3 | 3:00 | |
| 2018-12-18 | Loss |  Jamal Ben Saddik |
Glory 62: Rotterdam, Heavyweight Tournament Quarter-Finals | Rotterdam, Netherlands | TKO (2 Knockdowns) | 1 | 2:55 | |
| 2018-09-14 | Win |  Haze Wilson |
Glory 58: Chicago | Chicago, Illinois, United States | TKO (Referee stoppage) | 1 | 1:35 | |
| 2018-07-20 | Win | Anthony McDonald |
Glory 55: New York | New York City, United States | TKO (3 Knockdowns) | 1 | 2:20 | |
| 2018-02-16 | Loss |  Benjamin Adegbuyi |
Glory 50: Chicago, Heavyweight Contender Tournament Final | Chicago, Illinois, United States | TKO (leg kicks) | 2 | 0:31 | |
| 2018-02-16 | Loss |  Guto Inocente |
Glory 50: Chicago, Heavyweight Contender Tournament Semi-final | Chicago, Illinois, United States | Decision (unanimous) | 3 | 3:00 | |
| 2017-10-14 | Win |  Quanchao Luo |
Glory 46: China | Guangzhou, China | TKO (three knockdowns) | 1 | 1:34 | |
| 2017-04-28 | Win |  Johnny Waipouri |
Eruption Muay Thai 14 | Mansfield, Australia | KO | 1 | ||
| 2016-11-19 | Win | Ricky Barclay |
Muay Thai Warriors Action 18 | Toowoomba, Australia | Decision (Unanimous) | 3 | 3:00 | |
| 2016-08-19 | Win | Hamad Alloush |
Kings of Kombat 18 | Melbourne, Australia | KO (Right cross) | 1 | 0:25 | |
| 2015-12-05 | Win | Jacob Francis |
Caged Muay Thai 7 | Brisbane, Australia | KO (Right cross) | 1 | 1:40 | |
| Wins the Caged Muay Thai Heavyweight title. | ||||||||
| 2015-05-16 | Loss | Leo Aholelei |
Muay Thai Action 15 | Toowoomba, Australia | Decision | 3 | 3:00 | |
| For the WKA K-1 South Pacific Heavyweight title. | ||||||||
| 2014-12-06 | Win | Aaron Cannings |
Caged Muay Thai 5 | Brisbane, Australia | TKO (punches) | 3 | 0:13 | |
| Legend: Win Loss Draw/No contest Notes | ||||||||