LAS VEGAS – Tai Tuivasa was familiar with the name when Greg Hardy called him out on Instagram – but not much else.
While he was aware of Hardy’s unusual achievement of being a crossover professional athlete, Tuivasa (12-3 MMA, 5-3 UFC) had (and still has) limited knowledge of the former NFL star’s in-cage abilities.
“I know he’s in the heavyweight division and whatnot,” Tuivasa told MMA Junkie at a pre-fight news conference Wednesday. “I saw him fight (Ben) Sosoli and that was pretty much all I really knew. I heard that he fought in the NFL and all that. Great achievements, like, what an athlete? You know what I mean? To be able to represent yourself in the NFL and the UFC it’s a great achievement. Now, he’s talking about breaking my face and whatnot, but we’ll see about that.”
So what’s Tuivasa expecting against Hardy (7-3 MMA, 4-3 UFC), when the two step into the cage to fight on the UFC 264 pay-per-view main card? The animated Australian heavyweight kept his prediction short and sweet.
“He’s big and strong,” Tuivasa said. “I’m fat and strong, so we’ll do it.”
Hardy most recently competed in December against surging heavyweight contender Marcin Tybura. Despite a successful first round, Hardy was finished for the first time in his career via strikes. Prior to the stoppage, Hardy’s energy levels appeared low.
Although it’s possible his gas tank could be better than Hardy’s, Tuivasa plans on putting his foot on the pedal early and often.
“I’m coming forward,” Tuivasa said. “I’m coming forward. My pressure, everyone’s seen me fight before. I can punch on for 15 minutes. This time, I’m ready to punch on for 25 minutes. Now, he’s talking about not going to the ground? Well, f*ck, let’s do it. Let’s do it.”
Whether or not Hardy is more of a “name” than some of his past opponents is not relevant. For Tuivasa, the main motivation coming into this fight the same. He wants to fill his bank account as much as possible.
“I chase the money,” Tuivasa said. “I’m in this to feed my son. I’m in this to give him a better life. I’m in this for him not to go and do this sh*t (of), ‘Bleed for your money,’ you know? I want to give him a good education and give him some stuff I didn’t really get. If I can bleed for that, then sweet, I’m all for it.”
UFC 264 takes place Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.
Check out Tuivasa’s full UFC 264 pre-fight news conference in the video above.
