Since June 2024, the UFC has released or chosen not to renew the contracts of eight-plus heavyweights. Several of them were ranked when they were released—with Don’Tale Mayes’ recent loss, another release could be on the way.
It’s an understandable roster purge as the organization attempts to rid the heavyweight division of dead weight. What’s a little perplexing to some is how Tai Tuivasa has avoided the axe.
Popular MMA content creator Dovy Simu posted a screenshot of Tuivasa’s current brutal five-fight losing streak. Another popular social media account, Spinnin Backfist, quote-replied to the post, “But they cut Bigi Boy.”
SB was referring to the promotion’s recent cut of Jairzinho Rozenstruik, aka Bigi Boy.
Rozenstruik was ranked No. 9 when he lost a lackluster unanimous decision to Sergey Pavlovich on February 1. Before the loss, Rozenstruik had won two in a row and is 15-6 overall. In fact, Rozenstruik defeated Tuivasa via split decision in August 2024.
Because of Rozenstruik’s track record and recent success, it was a little surprising to see him get released.
When you look at Tuivasa’s current five-fight losing streak, it is even more shocking that he’s still on the roster. Tuivasa isn’t just losing—he’s been finished in all but one of the losses on this skid and hasn’t won a fight in three years.
So why is the No. 10-ranked Tuivasa still on the roster? There are likely two reasons. One, he is still under contract. That might sound obvious, but it’s important to note that Rozenstruik may not have been cut—the promotion might have simply decided not to renew his deal.
This means that when Tuivasa’s deal is up, if he hasn’t found his way into the win column, he could also wind up in the same position. The second reason is a combination of fighting style and charisma.
Tuivasa is an all-action, fan-friendly fighter who has had wars during his time in the UFC. He has scored explosive KO wins over the likes of Stefan Struve, Greg Hardy, Augusto Sakai, and Derrick Lewis. Tuivasa possesses an endearing everyman quality that resonates with fight fans. Rozenstruik, on the other hand, lost a really boring fight to Pavlovich that UFC President Dana White accurately described as “horrible.”
After beginning his UFC run as a KO artist, Rozenstruik evolved into an overly calculated heavyweight with a decreased work rate.
The celebratory shoey definitely hasn’t hurt Tuivasa’s popularity. Because Australia has become such an important region for the UFC, there could also be an additional benefit to keeping an uber-popular local fighter on the roster.
Unfortunately for Bigi Boy, the UFC hasn’t established much of a presence in his home country, Suriname.
I understand both sides of this concept. Fans and others have a point if they question Rozenstruik’s release when compared to Tuivasa’s continued presence on the roster. After all, the two men fought relatively recently, and Rozenstruik won the fight.
However, Tuivasa is a more exciting fighter, and fan connection is important. Age is also a factor—Tuivasa is still just 31 years old, while Rozenstruik is 36.
If fans are truly interested in justice, all will be right in the world if Tuivasa gets the boot following another loss or at the end of his contract. If Tuivasa rebounds and comes up with a big win, critics will have to chew on it, as he’ll likely be with the promotion for a lot longer. And his fans will be enjoying a few more shoeys in his honor.