“Look at me, I’ve gotta hit the gym. I’m getting ready. I’m gonna be 140 kg [308 lbs], easy. It’s big, whatever it is, I don’t even know, it’s big.” Tai Tuivasa made this statement on the Ariel Helwani Show as he recently shot nearly 40 pounds over the UFC’s 265lbs heavyweight limit. ‘Bam Bam’ hasn’t fought since his close split-decision loss to Jairzinho Rozenstruik at UFC 305. After a long break, he’s back to training, and for his comeback, the Aussie is teaming up with none other than Alex Pereira’s coach, Plinio Cruz, to kick things off.

Tuivasa’s UFC career has been a wild seesaw, always swinging between consecutive wins and losses. Right now, though, the Aussie is in the toughest stretch of his career as he is on a 5-fight losing skid. This started with his loss to Cyril Gane back in 2022, just when he was almost on the brink of fighting for a championship. Moreover, the heavy hitter has been finished 4 times (twice by submission and twice by knockout) in these last several outings. But Tuivasa is not backing down! He’s determined to turn things around and become the best version of himself. As he told Ariel Helwani, he’s ready to transform and to be at the top in 2026. He said, “I’m going to aim for the start of next year. I need to get back in the gym, I need to get fit, I need to get ready.”

It’s not very surprising that Tuivasa is training with Cruz. They have shared a training session with Alex Pereira, which has started this amazing relationship of admiration among them. Plinio Cruz uploaded a video on Instagram and captioned, “Had a fun time training my Uso @bambamtuivasa at @cruzmmaofficial, Bambam is a heavy hitter.”

Cruz talked about ‘Bam Bam’s fun vibe. In 2024, the Brazilian coach said in MMA Hour, “Tai’s a great guy, really funny. We all get along. We’ve known each other for a while now. Last time we were in Australia, we had some mutual friends, and he just showed up. He ended up doing four or five rounds with Alex. We had a blast.” Now, with Tuivasa planning a massive comeback, it’s gonna be real interesting to see how he handles himself and tweaks his training to make some real, noticeable changes.

However, ‘Bam Bam’ doesn’t mince words when it comes to the current state of the division. He believes most fighters are, well, subpar—except for the reigning champion Jon Jones and interim champ Tom Aspinall, who are currently ruling the division. Let’s see what he had to say!

Tai Tuivasa names Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall as top heavyweights

Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall have pretty much cruised through most of the heavyweights they have faced so far. ‘Bones’ made quick work of Ciryl Gane at UFC 285, showing him that the wrestling gap was way bigger than he could handle. Then, in his next fight with Stipe Miocic, Jones just dismantled him with his striking like it was nothing. As for Aspinall, his power and precision have been downright scary, putting guys to sleep in under two minutes. It’s no surprise Tai Tuivasa gave them their props, calling them the best in the division and saying everyone else is just s–t.

Tuivasa, continuing his interview with Ariel Helwani, said, “It’s definitely been something I’ve been thinking about a lot since I’ve been having this time off. I don’t watch the fights, but I watch some things. The heavyweights are sh–t. They’re all s–t, except for Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall. Other than that, f—g everyone’s pretty standard.”

The Aussie slugger definitely makes a fair point here. Athleticism and skill at heavyweight haven’t always been the sharpest compared to other divisions. But guys like Aspinall, Gane, Alexander Volkov, and Jones have raised the bar lately, and hopefully, that trend keeps growing in the future.

That being said, what do you think? Do you agree with Tai Tuivasa about the state of the heavyweight division? And more importantly, do you believe the Aussie has what it takes to make a big comeback? Drop your thoughts in the comments below!