“Bam Bam” is back — and he sounds recharged.
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Heavyweight fan favorite Tai Tuivasa finally returns to action at UFC 325 this weekend (Sat., Jan. 31, 2026), taking on dangerous
knockout artist Tallison Teixeira inside Qudos Bank Arena in his hometown of Sydney, Australia.
It will mark Tuivasa’s first appearance in more than a year. After a brutal skid that saw him lose five straight fights — four by finish — the Shoey-drinking brawler made the decision to step away entirely in 2025, choosing to reset both mentally and physically rather than rushing back into the fire.
“I feel like I just rushed back into the fights,” Tuivasa told FOX Australia. “I would take a fight, lose. Take a fight, lose. Try again. I would try my hardest, but then lose again. Then I was like ‘F—k.’ I was at a point there where I was running myself down…I needed a break, that’s for sure. I’m not some super crazy athlete, but I needed a break to get my head right again.”
The 32-year-old admitted burnout played a major role in his struggles, saying the grind of constant training and competition drained the joy from fighting — something he had to rediscover.
“I needed to miss it,” Tuivasa added. “Some of us do this for different reasons, and one of them is that I like to hurt people as well. I needed to miss that. I feel like I was just fighting and training, but I needed to miss it, and I miss it now.”
As part of his reset, Tuivasa left his surroundings in Australia and returned to Dubai for camp, distancing himself from distractions and comfort.
“I moved back over to the desert, I feel like I do better over there— away from my hood, away from my loved ones,” he explained.
Despite his recent record, Tuivasa remains confident that the UFC Heavyweight division is wide open — and, in his words, ripe for disruption.
“I feel like the Heavyweight division is shit, so a few more wins on this run will get me back on top with the boys,” Tuisvasa concluded.
Saturday’s clash with Teixeira represents exactly that opportunity. And if a refocused Tuivasa shows up in Sydney, Heavyweight chaos may be back on the menu.
To see the finalized UFC 325 fight card and Paramount+ lineup click here.
