‘Police escorted me off”: Aussie UFC fighter Justin Tafa’s wild rugby league brawl reveal

Australia’s Junior Tafa has revealed how a wild Queensland bush footy brawl effectively pushed him into this Sunday’s stacked UFC 325 blockbuster – where he also plans to use the same explosive stand up game to win himself a $100,000 bonus.

UFC 325: Volkanovski vs Lopes 2 | SUN 1 FEB 1PM AEDT | For the first time in his storied career, UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski will defend his championship in his home city of Sydney, in a rematch with Brazil’s Diego Lopes. | Order Now with Main Event on Kayo Sports.

While he may be facing American Billy Elekana inside Qudos Bank Arena this weekend, there was a time where Tafa was a battling rugby league backrower — and “red card specialist” — who had no idea he was about to take the same journey as guys like Alexander Volkanovski, Tai Tuivasa, Jack Della Maddalena, Carlos Ulberg, Kai Kara-France, even the legendary Mark Hunt.

“When it came to footy, I wasn’t much good,” Tafa tells Fox Sports Australia on the eve of his Sydney bout.

“I only ever played because my brothers did.

“[Laughs] In my last ever game, I actually received a police escort out of the ground and got suspended for 16 weeks.”

Huh?

“I was playing out in country Queensland,” the UFC light heavyweight continues, “and this one guy, he headbutted me in a tackle.

“So I told him ‘man, you do that again and I’m going to smash you’.

“Then next tackle, he goes and does it again.

“So I’ve pumped him.

“Then from there, we both get sent off to the dressing rooms …”

And guess what?

“They were right next to each other,” Tafa grins. “So we’ve ended up in the same shed for another go.

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“It was an away game too, which meant as I’m being walked out of the ground poor mum is alongside me and the crowd is going off, ‘bro, you’re a f***ing idiot’.

“I remember thinking ‘yeah, sorry mum’.

“And she actually said to me ‘that’s it, you’re never playing again’.

“So that was my last ever game of rugby league.”

All of which was the start of move shared by the likes of former Warilla Gorillas prop Volkanvski, the now UFC featherweight king who defends against Brazilian Diego Lopes this Sunday.

Elsewhere, on the Main Event broadcast, former Sydney Roosters prospect Tai Tuivasa also makes his anticipated comeback in the UFC heavyweight division.

Tafa, meanwhile, joins a stack of locals on a card which kicks off the pay-per-view section with an all-Australian showdown between Quillin Salkilld and Jamie Mullarkey.

And as for the Brisbane boy’s prediction?

“Look, we know what he’s going to do,” the former kickboxer said of Elekana.

“He won’t like the heat when it comes to the feet, so he’s going to shoot for the legs.

“It’s what everyone will do against me.

“Because there’s no man who will stand toe-to-toe with me.

“That’s what I believe, anyway.

“Everyone I’ve trained with will vouch for my striking, and that’s why now – even though I’m effectively learning on the job – I’ve worked incredibly hard on my ground game.

“And I’m learning, getting better.

“But on the feet? I know there’s no one can f*** with me.”

Elsewhere, Junior also revealed his older brother Justin, who previously competed as a UFC heavyweight, will also be in his corner this Sunday after having spent last weekend playing rugby league himself in the Gold Coast Nines.

Once a promising forward in the Melbourne Storm system, Justin would then go on to fight 10 times inside the Octagon, but most recently turned out in the Gold Coast event alongside former NRL stars like James Maloney, Andrew Fifita, Matt Moylan, Blake Austin, Curtis Scott, Corey Norman and Sam Kasiano.

Junior suggested big brother was also likely now headed to Las Vegas this month to be part of the American Nines tournament that compliments a blockbuster NRL season opener week of festivities.

“And Justin was always the player,” younger brother said, grinning.

“I’d watch him play rugby league and think ‘man, I’m wasting my time with this’.

“I watched my brother play No.6, fullback, lock, centre, he could play everywhere.

“He just played last weekend on the Gold Coast, had Sam Kasiano in his team, now he’s headed to Las Vegas for the Nines tournament over.”

Ironically, it was this time a year ago, before fighting at UFC 312 in Sydney, where Justin Tafa also revealed he had been secretly playing some bush footy games as a way of staying fit between fights.

He also revealed in one particular reserve grade game, a rival player had squared up to him – completely unaware he was challenging a UFC heavyweight.

“He was like, ‘What are you gonna do?’,” Justin laughed. “And I was like, ‘Oh, man’. He had no idea”.

“God was looking over him that day.”

Wonderfully, and unsurprisingly, there were other players who did recognise the 31-year-old.

“This one guy bumped me off,” Tafa recalled, “and I was on my back — like, ‘Oh s***, this guy just rolled over me’ — he said ‘Bro can we get a photo after the game?’.”

While Junior, meanwhile, took his first five UFC fights in heavyweight, he dropped down a weight class last start, however was submitted within two rounds by Tuco Tokkos.

The Brisbane fighter revealed this week, however, that he had entered the Nashville cage while privately battling a serious illness.

“My biggest mistake was thinking the fight was done once I made weight,” he says.

“After jumping off the scales, I didn’t continue with the nutrition and hydration packages the UFC had given us.

“Instead, I decided to carb load.

“I went to one of the best steakhouses in Nashville, indulged and that really f***ed me.

“I went into the fight with diarrhoea and stomach issues.

“If you watch the fight back, you can see I’m so lethargic, had no gears.

“But what can you do? I’d just flown halfway across the world for a fight and I’ve definitely fought crook before.

“It’s who I am.”

Due to their chaotic fight style, the Tafa boys have also always enjoyed a strong following among Australian fight fans and Junior expects to feel that when he walks to the Octagon this Sunday.

“I do feel that love, definitely,” he stressed.

“And I think it’s because people like our style of fighting.

“We risk it all.

“Put everything on the line, every time.

“There is no looking for a safe way out.”