UFC: Justin Tafa fit and ready to fire on final UFC card of the year after injury layoff

Justin Tafa returns to the octagon this weekend. Photo / Getty Images

Justin Tafa has had a strange year.

After suffering a controversial split decision loss on the first UFC card of the year in January, the Kiwi heavyweight shook it off for his return in May, where his most effective weapon was out of action after a round.

In his May bout against Jared Vanderaa, Tafa was having a lot of success with his left hand. However, when one didn't quite connect properly during the first round, things went south.

"My hand kind of went numb and I was trying to get a good clenched fist on my left hand and I couldn't," Tafa said. "I was like, 'S***, where's my thumb gone?' It kind of disappeared on me. I knew I had broken it then.

"It was my only strike that was landing as well so I was like, well, this is going to be a long day in the office."

The Australia-based 28-year-old fought on to a unanimous decision loss – a bout that picked up the Fight of the Night bonus seeing both fighters pocket an extra US$50,000.

The extent of the injury wasn't revealed until after he had taken off his glove, revealing a compound fracture. Some of the bone was sticking out of his hand; the rest had shattered into pieces.

"They had to make a bone graft. Kind of like a sausage roll – they just chucked in all the bone that they could piece together."

As part of the surgery, Tafa had metal put into the damaged area to help it recover. Once the metal was taken back out, he had to undergo a rehabilitation process to strengthen the area. It saw him spend a few months unable to train at full capacity.

At that point, he was unsure if he was going to be back in the octagon in 2021.

After the loss to Vanderaa, Tafa admitted he was concerned for his immediate future with the promotion as he had dropped to a 1-3 record in his first four fights with the UFC. However, those concerns were put to rest soon after when he was awarded a new four-fight contract.

Now, the first Kiwi into the octagon this year will be the last one to appear in it as well, taking on American Harry Hunsucker this weekend on the last UFC card of the year.

An interesting stylistic matchup, Hunsucker has looked at his best when he mixes his strong grappling game in, with four of his seven wins coming by submission. He has, however, shown an affinity for the stand-up game, happily exchanging strikes in the pocket with his opponent.

"I've seen that he's got a bit of grappling in him, but he's not too hesitant to throw," Tafa said.

"If he brings that same energy, so be it – I'll finish him. If not, we'll see where he takes it."