Perth shake-up: Late exit sets up new Tai Tuivasa showdown

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

Tai Tuivasa’s fight is still set for May 2, even though the details have changed.

The Sydney heavyweight has had a tough stretch, dropping six consecutive bouts since reaching a career-high ranking of No. 3 in the division.

His latest setback came in February at UFC 325, where he lost a decision to Tallison Teixeira. His last win was over four years ago when he knocked out Derrick Lewis.

While Tuivasa will have another shot to fight in front of Australian fans, it won’t be against the opponent he had been preparing for.

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

Louie Sutherland set to replace Sean Sharaf in Tai Tuivasa’s bout at UFC Perth

Originally, the Aussie was slated to face Sean Sharaf, a 4-2 professional who’s yet to win in two UFC appearances.

But with Sharaf withdrawing less than two weeks before the fight, the promotion had to move quickly to find a replacement.

Sutherland shares a similar record with Sharaf, having also gone winless in his first two fights with the promotion.

The English heavyweight has lost both of his fights since joining the UFC. He was knocked out by Valter Walker and Brando Pericic, but entered the organisation after winning a title at Levels Fight League in 2025.

Before losing to Teixeira, Tuivasa had also come up short against Jairzinho Rozenstruik, Marcin Tybura, Alexander Volkov, Sergei Pavlovich and Ciryl Gane.

Those results have led many fans and analysts to question how much longer ‘Bam Bam’ will remain under contract with the promotion. Not long ago, he put together five straight knockouts during an unexpected rise up the division rankings.

Read more:

• Josh Hokit’s crowd-pleasing moves raise alarm for coach before White House faceoff with Derrick Lewis
• Tyron Woodley says Gable Steveson will topple Tom Aspinall — UFC clash heats up
• Another blow for UFC Perth: crowd favourite forced to withdraw