Tai Tuivasa will attempt to get back on track in his home country.
Tuivasa (15-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC) has signed on to meet former Bellator champ and fellow heavyweight contender Alexander Volkov (36-10 MMA, 10-4 UFC) at UFC 293, a person close to the situation informed MMA Junkie on Thursday. The person requested anonymity because the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.
UFC 293 takes place Sept. 9 at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims expected on ESPN and ESPN+.
Tuivasa, No. 6 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie heavyweight rankings, will try to return to form after back-to-back knockout losses against Sergei Pavlovich and Ciryl Gane. The skid snapped a five-fight winning streak for “Bam Bam,” all of which came by knockout.
It won’t be an easy task against No. 9 Volkov, however, who is in the midst of a two-fight winning streak against Alexandr Romanov and Jairzinho Rozenstruik, both of whom the Russian stopped by TKO inside the first round.
The latest UFC 293 lineup now includes:
- Viviane Araujo vs. Casey O’Neill
- Da-un Jung vs. Carlos Ulberg
- Manel Kape vs. Kai Kara-France
- Tai Tuivasa vs. Alexander Volkov
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 290.
