{"id":649179,"date":"2026-05-04T14:37:09","date_gmt":"2026-05-04T14:37:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/649179\/"},"modified":"2026-05-04T14:37:09","modified_gmt":"2026-05-04T14:37:09","slug":"you-gotta-put-me-out-tai-tuivasa-wont-give-up-despite-seven-fight-losing-streak","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/649179\/","title":{"rendered":"“You Gotta Put Me Out” Tai Tuivasa Won’t Give Up Despite Seven-Fight Losing Streak"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tai Tuivasa hit rock bottom on Saturday night at UFC Perth, and he\u2019s making sure everyone knows he won\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n

Sutherland<\/a>, stepping in on short notice, controlled most of the fight through takedowns and ground control<\/a>. 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.<\/p>\n

\"\"PERTH, AUSTRALIA \u2013 MAY 02: (R-L) Louie Sutherland of England takes down Tai Tuivasa of Australia in a heavyweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at RAC Arena on May 02, 2026 in Perth, Australia. (Photo by Ed Mulholland\/Zuffa LLC)<\/p>\n

Tai Tuivasa Refuses to Fold After Seventh Straight Loss at UFC Perth<\/p>\n

On Instagram following the loss, Tuivasa posted a statement that cut through typical fighter speak: \u201cSORRY, I tried, I felt good, I put in the work didn\u2019t get result.\u201d He didn\u2019t make excuses about the short-notice opponent, his training camp, or anything else. Instead, he owned it completely. \u201cI feel like a shit c**t let my fans down again,\u201d he wrote, then pivoted straight into defiance. \u201cBUT I WILL NEVER GIVE UP. I\u2019M FROM WESTERN SYDNEY. YOU GOTTA PUT ME OUT FOR ME TO GIVE UP.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tuivasa grew up in Mt Druitt, one of the rougher neighborhoods in Sydney\u2019s west, raised by an Indigenous Australian mother and Samoan father among 11 siblings. Before MMA, he was signed by the NRL\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

\"TaiImage: @ufc\/X<\/p>\n

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\u2019s over four years ago. Since then, nothing but losses. The losing streak runs so deep that he\u2019s now just one defeat away from tying Tony Ferguson\u2019s record of eight consecutive losses, the longest in UFC history. Ferguson\u2019s streak spanned from 2020 to 2024.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s strange about Tuivasa\u2019s spot right now is that he\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

The question hanging over his career is whether the UFC gives him another shot or if Perth marks the end. Tuivasa says he\u2019ll never give up voluntarily. Whether the promotion lets him keep fighting to prove it remains to be seen.<\/p>\n

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