UFC adds Marcos Rogerio de Lima vs. Junior Tafa Late
While UFC matchmakers were backed into a corner given that Justin Tafa had to pull out of the fight, they were quickly able to solve the problem. Justin’s brother, Junior Tafa, was called upon to step up to keep the UFC 298 fight count intact. It gives new meaning to “short notice,” but UFC CEO Dana White will probably tell reporters, “That’s what we do,” and it’s an impressive feat for all involved.
Tafa was scheduled to face Karl Williams at a UFC Fight Night card next month. If Tafa can score a quick finish, then perhaps that bout still takes place. With that said, there has been no official word on the status of that fight against Williams.
Going into the bout with de Lima, Junior Tafa has a pro MMA record of 5-1. His last outing was a successful one, knocking out Parker Porter with a right hook back in August 2023. As for de Lima, he’s hoping to rebound after a 33-second loss against Derrick Lewis last year. It’ll be interesting to see who ends up benefitting from this last-minute turnaround, but one thing is for sure, we will be watching.