Tai Tuivasa Ties Unwanted UFC Record After Split Decision Loss to Robelis Despaigne
Tai Tuivasa walked into Crypto.com Arena looking for a lifeline. He walked out with a place in the record book he never wanted.
The Australian heavyweight dropped a split decision to Robelis Despaigne on the UFC 331 prelims in Los Angeles, tying Tony Ferguson for the longest losing streak in UFC history with eight consecutive defeats. The scores read 29-28, 28-29, 29-28 for Despaigne, who ground out the biggest win of his second stint with the promotion.
It started in chaos.
The very first clean punch Despaigne landed dumped Tuivasa to the canvas, a jarring moment that briefly silenced the crowd. Tuivasa sprang back to his feet and did what he always does: he bit down on the mouthpiece and started slinging. Both men traded heavy leather in a wild opening minute that looked tailor-made for a Tuivasa firefight.
Then the pace changed.
Despaigne dragged the bout into the clinch and eventually put Tuivasa on his back. From there, the Cuban worked to full mount, threatening to turn an early scare into a disastrous first round for Tuivasa. The Sydney native stayed calm, survived the position, scrambled up, and flipped the script with a takedown of his own. He chased a head-and-arm choke until the horn, finishing the round on top and back in the fight.
Round 2
Round 2 opened with Tuivasa again looking for the knockout. He came out swinging, tagged Despaigne with a couple of clean shots, and forced another clinch exchange. This time, Despaigne answered with craft instead of chaos. After they separated, he sneaked in a sharp knee, then used the next tie-up to hit a slick hip toss and return the fight to the mat.
The action slowed. Despaigne controlled, Tuivasa tried to work from the bottom, and the referee eventually stood them up when the position stalled. Any hope of a late-round flurry never came. They headed to the third with everything still hanging in the balance.
Round 3
Five minutes to save a career. Tuivasa fought like a man who knew it—but not always with the urgency the situation demanded.
He stayed measured at range, picked at Despaigne with a hard inside leg kick that knocked the Cuban off balance, then crashed into the clinch again looking for a takedown. Despaigne dug in, created space, and answered with a few sharp, damaging shots that opened Tuivasa’s nose and left blood streaming.
The pressure finally told in the grappling exchanges. Despaigne hit another well-timed hip toss, pinning Tuivasa to the canvas and bleeding precious seconds off the clock. When Tuivasa finally scrambled back to his feet in the closing moments, there was no time left for a miracle. He swung, but the buzzer came first.
The judges sided with Despaigne, and history followed.
Tuivasa, once a surging contender who last had his hand raised with a brutal second-round finish of Derrick Lewis at UFC 271 in February 2022, now shares an infamous mark with Ferguson at eight straight UFC losses. For a fan favorite built on knockouts and walk-off celebrations, it’s a brutal slide.
For Despaigne, this was something very different: not a viral finish, but a hard, grinding win that resets his trajectory. His first UFC run in 2024 was a whirlwind—an 18-second knockout of Josh Parisian, then back-to-back flat decision losses to Waldo Cortes-Acosta and Austen Lane. This time, he showed he can win ugly when he has to.
UFC 331 Undercard Results
- Robelis Despaigne def. Tai Tuivasa via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Michael Aswell Jr. def. JooSang Yoo via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Ryan Gandra def. Ozzy Diaz via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 2:04
- Edmen Shahbazyan def. Brunno Ferreira via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
- Casey O'Neill def. Eduarda Moura via submission (armbar) – Round 1, 3:22
- Joanderson Brito def. Giga Chikadze via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 1:57
Despaigne walks away with momentum and a foothold in the heavyweight division. Tuivasa walks away with questions. After eight straight losses and nearly three years without a win, how many more times will the UFC let him roll the dice?
