Tai Tuivasa hit rock bottom on Saturday night at UFC Perth, and he’s making sure everyone knows he won’t stay there. The Australian heavyweight suffered his seventh consecutive defeat against Louie Sutherland in a unanimous decision loss, a result that sent him back to the drawing board in a post-fight statement that was equal parts rage and resolve.
Sutherland, stepping in on short notice, controlled most of the fight through takedowns and ground control. Tuivasa spent significant portions of the 15-minute bout on his back, unable to generate the offense needed to impress the judges. Things got worse when he was deducted a point late in the fight for a knee to the head while grounded, leaving the scorecards reading 30-26 across the board.
Tai Tuivasa Refuses to Fold After Seventh Straight Loss at UFC Perth
On Instagram following the loss, Tuivasa posted a statement that cut through typical fighter speak: “SORRY, I tried, I felt good, I put in the work didn’t get result.” He didn’t make excuses about the short-notice opponent, his training camp, or anything else. Instead, he owned it completely. “I feel like a shit c**t let my fans down again,” he wrote, then pivoted straight into defiance. “BUT I WILL NEVER GIVE UP. I’M FROM WESTERN SYDNEY. YOU GOTTA PUT ME OUT FOR ME TO GIVE UP.”
Tuivasa grew up in Mt Druitt, one of the rougher neighborhoods in Sydney’s west, raised by an Indigenous Australian mother and Samoan father among 11 siblings. Before MMA, he was signed by the NRL’s Sydney Roosters but walked away from professional rugby league when he fell into a gambling addiction. The cage became his second chance, and the people from Western Sydney became his identity.
His last win came on February 12, 2022, when he knocked out Derrick Lewis with an elbow in the second round at UFC 271. That’s over four years ago. Since then, nothing but losses. The losing streak runs so deep that he’s now just one defeat away from tying Tony Ferguson’s record of eight consecutive losses, the longest in UFC history. Ferguson’s streak spanned from 2020 to 2024.
What’s strange about Tuivasa’s spot right now is that he’s actually still in the UFC. Most fighters with seven straight losses get cut or pushed out. His name, his knockout power, and moments of genuine entertainment kept him around despite the brutal losing streak. But that goodwill has limits.
The question hanging over his career is whether the UFC gives him another shot or if Perth marks the end. Tuivasa says he’ll never give up voluntarily. Whether the promotion lets him keep fighting to prove it remains to be seen.
