After Justin Tafa was injured and unable to participate in UFC 298, his brother Junior Tafa stepped in on short notice to fight in his place against Marcos Rogerio de Lima.
Well, well, well. UFC 298 was down to 11 fights, but guess what? After a bit of a kerfuffle at the weigh-in this morning, we’re back up to a dozen.
So, here’s the scoop. During the UFC’s official weigh-in show, they dropped the bombshell that Justin Tafa had been injured. The details? They’re keeping those under wraps. But the result? His scheduled heavyweight bout with Marcos Rogerio de Lima was off the table.
But wait, there’s more. At the tail end of the official weigh-ins on Friday, they let slip that Junior Tafa, Justin’s brother, would be stepping in. And he’s only got a day’s notice. Talk about a plot twist, huh?
This last-minute switcheroo comes just before a pretty big fight for the elder Tafa. He was on the cusp of breaking into the promotion’s heavyweight rankings. The guy’s been on a roll, unbeaten in his last four fights. He’s got first-round knockout wins over Austen Lane, Parker Porter, and Harry Hunsucker under his belt. This would’ve been his ninth time in the octagon, and he’s only 30.
Meanwhile, Junior Tafa was supposed to face Karl Williams at the UFC’s Fight Night event on March 23. That might still be on the cards, but for now, the 27-year-old has stepped up to the plate to save the heavyweight bout. He made weight at 249 pounds on Friday, just after Rogerio de Lima tipped the scales at 261.5. In his last fight, Junior knocked out Porter in the first round at UFC Singapore in August.
As for Rogerio de Lima? He’s still on the card. He’s looking to bounce back after a first-round TKO loss to Derrick Lewis at UFC 291 in July. Let’s see how this all pans out, shall we?