UFC heavyweight contender Tai Tuivasa wants a shot against former UFC champion Stipe Miocic for his next Octagon appearance.
Tuivasa is arguably the hottest name in the heavyweight division right now. He’s won five fights in a row, all of which ended in a knockout within the first two rounds.
Tuivasa surged into the top 5 of the UFC heavyweight rankings following a violent knockout of Derrick Lewis at UFC 271. After back-and-forth exchanges, he landed a heavy elbow that sent the UFC knockout leader Lewis collapsing to the canvas.
Tuivasa could be potentially one win away from a heavyweight title shot, which was unheard of at this point last year. But he wants bigger challenges to earn a shot at the belt in 2022.
During a recent interview with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, Tuivasa called out arguably the greatest heavyweight in UFC history.
“I just think that that’s the fight,” Tuivasa said. “He’s in front of me. That’s who I’d like to fight just because he’s been around, he’s older and I don’t think he’ll have many more left. I’d like to have a crack at him before he goes. He’s the best heavyweight of all time, so why wouldn’t I want a crack against him? Just like the knockout king [Derrick Lewis].”
Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones has also alluded to a matchup with Miocic for his heavyweight debut. However, it remains to be seen when Jones will return to the cage in 2022.
UFC President Dana White put Tuivasa into the heavyweight title picture following his latest win over Lewis. He has also earned big knockouts over the likes of Greg Hardy and Augusto Sakai.
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