Tai Tuivasa just tied the worst record in UFC history, and the promotion is still saying it loves him
Tai Tuivasa lost a split decision to Robelis Despaigne on the UFC 331 prelims. It was his eighth straight defeat, which ties the longest losing run anyone has ever put together inside the UFC. Dana White’s response afterwards said nothing about the future and everything about how uncomfortable this has become.
Key takeaways
- Tai Tuivasa lost by split decision to Robelis Despaigne on the UFC 331 preliminary card, his eighth defeat in a row.
- That equals Tony Ferguson's record for the longest losing streak in UFC history; Tuivasa has not won a fight in more than four years.
- Dana White praised him personally after the card and called the first round incredible, without addressing whether Tuivasa fights in the UFC again.
What Tai Tuivasa's eighth loss actually means
A record nobody wants to hold
Eight consecutive losses is the longest skid in the promotion’s history, a mark previously held alone by Tony Ferguson. Tuivasa has now drawn level with it. The last time he had his hand raised was more than four years ago, which covers the entire period in which he went from one of the most popular heavyweights on the roster to a fighter whose bookings come with a question attached.
And it was not a blowout
The uncomfortable detail is that this one was close. A split decision means one judge had him winning, and White singled out the opening round as one of the best things on the card. A fighter who is finished is usually finished visibly. Tuivasa keeps producing nights where the argument is genuinely available, and then losing them.
Why he is still on cards, and why that is the real question
Popularity is a currency and he has plenty of it
Roster decisions are not made on win-loss columns alone. Tuivasa sells, he is one of the sport’s genuinely beloved figures, and his walkouts and celebrations became a cultural export of Australian MMA. That buys patience that a fighter on the same streak without it would never get. Everyone involved knows this, and nobody in the promotion has to say it out loud.
White’s words were about the man, not the fighter
Asked about him after the card, White spoke about Tuivasa being a great guy, about loving him, about the first round being incredible. Read that back and notice what is missing: nothing about a next opponent, nothing about a next date, nothing about the division at all. Praise that stays entirely in the personal register is usually praise that has run out of sporting things to say.
The cost of another one
A ninth straight loss would not just extend a record, it would extend a period of accumulated damage against heavyweights, which is the part of this that no popularity offsets. Whatever gets decided here, the clock that matters is not the contract’s.
We love Tai. We love him. He's a great guy. Tonight, the first round of that fight was incredible, and yeah, he's a good guy.
Where this goes
Three doors, and only one of them is comfortable
Either the promotion books him again and accepts what that looks like if it goes wrong, or it does not and the decision gets made for him, or he calls it himself and does so while the choice is still his. The third is the only version where the ending belongs to him.
The division has moved on around him
Heavyweight after UFC 331 belongs to a different generation: a champion defending in November, a twelve-second knockout artist nobody had heard of on Friday, a queue of newer names. Tuivasa’s era at the top of this weight class ended a while ago, and the record he just tied is the formal acknowledgement of it.
Follow the heavyweight division with real numbers
Records, finish rates, activity and our own ratings for every fighter on this card are kept up to date in the FightHub app. Download it to see how heavyweight actually stands after the weekend.
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