A fan favorite looks to get back to winning ways this weekend in Sydney.

UFC 305: Tai Tuivasa says he is in great shape ahead of heavyweight fight  in Perth - ABC News

Alexander Volkanovski may not be planning to retire, but he’s sure to still receive incredible support at the Qudos Bank Arena this Saturday.

The Octagon heading back down under gives the members of the roster who represent Australasia a big opportunity to fight in front of their fans.

UFC 325 may have lost a matchup featuring a home fighter, but there’s still plenty of familiar faces and rising stars on the card.

One of them is Tai Tuivasa, who will be looking to do what he did in October of 2020, when he bounced back from some tough results with a ruthless KO win.

Tai Tuivasa crumbled Stefan Struve and accidentally kicked him during his celebrations

Tai Tuivasa didn’t compete in 2025 after suffering his fifth consecutive loss in August of 2024 in Perth, Australia.

This isn’t the first time that the fan favorite heavyweight has taken some time off before being able to get his UFC career back on track.

After suffering the first three losses of his career inside the Octagon, he came back in a big way when he returned at UFC 254.

Before Tuivasa went on to knockout the likes of Greg Hardy and put together a run that saw him emerge as one of the division’s top contenders, ‘Bam Bam’ had to overcome a massive size difference.

Tai Tuivasa celebrates after stopping Greg Hardy at UFC 264

Standing at 6’2”, the Aussie was aiming up from the very start of his bout with the 7ft Stefan Struve.

Tuivasa’s ability to get in his opponent’s faces and turn things into a brawl led to him toppling the tallest fighter in UFC history for a buzzer-beater knockout in the first round.

He was then surprised to learn in the post-fight press conference that when he climbed on the cage to celebrate, he’d accidentally kicked his downed opponent in the head.

“No I didn’t,” Tuivasa replied. Sorry, Stef bro, I didn’t mean that. Sorry, lad. I kicked him the head? Oh, I owe him a beer for that. Sorry Stef.”

This would end up being the last fight of Struve’s 24-bout UFC career that began in 2009.

Tai Tuivasa celebrates on the cage after stopping Stefan Struve in Abu Dhabi.

Tai Tuivasa’s next fight will see him face similar challenges

Tai Tuivasa is now back to share the card with his fellow Australians like Alexander Volkanovski, who headlines UFC 325 in a defense of his featherweight title.

The heavyweight’s previous win and preparations to face Stefan Struve could end up being a major factor in his next matchup.

Brazil’s Tallison Teixeira will have a big size advantage over his opponent, with the dangerous knockout artist standing at 6’8”.

However, if Tuivasa can force him into the kind of fights that ‘Bam Bam’ loves to be in, this losing run could come to an end on Saturday night.