Justin Tafa, a 3-0 heavyweight, has signed with the UFC to take on DWCS veteran Yorgan De Castro at UFC 243.
The UFC is coming to Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, in Docklands Stadium for UFC 243. The event, which was recently announced is expected to be a banger. Only two fights confirmed, one of those being the middleweight title unification bout between Robert Whittaker and Israel Adesanya. The other fight is a pair of newcomers in DWCS veteran Yorgan De Castro taking on Australia’s own Justin Tafa.
How Will Justin Tafa Fare in the UFC:
It’s always odd when you see the UFC sign a 3-0 fighter. Even at heavyweight and light heavyweight, it’s still too soon to fight in the UFC. There are circumstances though in which it is fine. Just a little bit ago the UFC signed Cyril Gane who is also 3-0. Gane though has beat competition with a combined 16-2 record with an extensive background in Muay Thai. Tafa on the other hand, has beat competition with a combined record of 8-3.
Tafa reminds me of his teammate, Tai Tuivasa, with his style. Tafa, growing up in kickboxing has shown to be competitive on the mat utilizing trip takedowns. He’s done well in scrambles and while he’s ended up on his back a few times he’s always working. Tafa is more comfortable on the feet with his arsenal of weapons and his knockout power. Obviously, his kickboxing is good, but it’s the kick to the liver that’s money. He tends to stand flat-footed and holds his hands low, which can be expected in a young fighter. Tafa is good when he’s the one coming forward with hooks, uppercuts, and elbows. He’s good but still so green and needs more time to develop. He’ll have to do that in the UFC now.
How Justin Tafa Matches Up with Yorgan De Castro:
Yorgan De Castro brings aggressiveness, heavy hands, and leg kicks to this fight. Tafa is a bit more technical and has more weapons. Both are really green, but Tafa even more so. It’s a hard fight to call as both haven’t really shown a whole lot. The pick is De Castro because I feel he will be more active and have the advantage in speed.
