New Zealand’s heavyweight MMA contender Justin Tafa is back after almost a year-long hiatus at UFC 312. Taking on the undefeated Tallison Teixeira at the Qudos Arena this weekend in Australia, ‘Bad Man’ would be looking to get back in the winning column after a unanimous decision loss in his last outing.

Justin Tafa joined the UFC in 2019 and took a huge inspiration from former UFC fighter Mark Hunt. But before we dive into the pay-per-view excitement, let’s get a glimpse at where this rising star from New Zealand hones his skills for the impending battle.

Where does Justin Tafa train out of? Gym and teammates

Hailing from the streets of New Zealand, Justin Tafa is currently based in Australia and is one of those fighters who are looked up to by his people in his native country of New Zealand. With a professional record of 7-4 (1 NC), the heavyweight fighter brings the spirit of his regionality to the UFC. However, Tafa doesn’t represent this native nation as a professional athlete. Since he resides in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, this raises a question – Where does the Kiwi heavyweight train?

To be precise, Justin Tafa is associated with the team Tafa Gang Fight Team, or more specifically, with NTG Fight & Fitness. Interestingly, Justin Tafa has a brother in the UFC who competes in the same division and his name is Junior Tafa. It must be noted that despite being from the same nation, his inspiration, Mark Hunt, has yet to coach him or his brothers.

When it comes to Justin Tafa’s teammates, besides his brother, he has Dimps Gillies, Ran Deng, and many others, but none of them have more than a dozen professional MMA fights. Nonetheless, let us now look at the 31-year-old’s coach.

Who is Justin Tafa’s coach?

According to certain sources, Justin Tafa’s coach is none other than the patriarch of his family, Gerard Tafa. However, there isn’t much information on the UFC heavyweight fighter, which indicates that his father hopes to stay away from public attention. It seems like fighting is in Tafa’s blood because his grandfather was also a fighter, but not a martial artist. Instead, his grandfather, Fuailefau Pati Tafa, was a national boxer.

It seems like fighting under the tutelage led him to have a rapid rise in the sport in relatively less time since Justin Tafa captured his first MMA world title in just his second fight, becoming the XFC heavyweight champion in 2018. But can he replicate that feat under the brightest lights in the UFC? That remains to be seen.

Well, his title dreams are not in sight at the moment, but his next fight is. There’s a real chance that Justin Tafa makes the top 15 of the heavyweight division should he come out on top this weekend. But in the meantime, let us know your thoughts in the comments down below.