Jared Vanderaa dictates the pace to defeat Tafa
The UFC returns to the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday, May 22 for UFC Vegas 27. In the main event, former UFC bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt looks to inch one step closer towards another title shot as he meets Rob Font at 135-pounds. MyMMANews.com will have all your UFC Vegas 27 results below.
In a heavyweight bout, Justin Tafa makes the walk to the octagon for the fourth time in his seven professional bouts. He’ll take on California’s, Jared Vanderaa in a matchup that could end in a single blow.
Justin Tafa is 1-2 in the UFC, thus far. However, the Australian is known for his insanely explosive and ferocious punching power. Coming off of the only decision-loss of his career, Tafa enters this contest as the betting favorite and is looking to rebound in a big way against Jared Vanderaa.
After a brutal first-round, ground-and-pound stoppage on DWCS, Vanderaa earned his long-awaited spot on the UFC roster. However, Vanderaa was stopped in his following outing against Sergey Spivak in the second round at UFC Vegas 19. Looking to bounce back from the devastating loss, Vanderaa enters this bout with over double the amount of fights/experience as his opponent, Justin Tafa.
Here is how the heavyweight bout between Justin Tafa and Jared Vanderaa went down at UFC Vegas 27, including round-by-round scoring. For full results of the event, check them out here.
Round 1: Both fighters touch gloves and Vanderaa leads off with a leg kick. Vanderaa paws his jab and the fighters trade leg kicks. Tafa comes forward tripling punches upstairs. Tafa lands a hard punch to the body. Vanderaa returns fire with a leg kick. Vanderaa puts his lead hand in Tafa’s face consistently when Tafa comes forward on the attack, offsetting him with jabs. Vanderaa lands a hard knee and Tafa charges looking to take his head off. Seemingly working off of aggression, Tafa is charging forward looking to get even. Vanderaa’s kicks are finding their mark in succession, keeping Tafa at bay throughout the round. Tafa blitzes forward with heavy punches with Vanderaa keeping his jab in Tafa’s face, once again. Tafa throws hard upstairs, ducking his head enough for Vanderaa to grab hold of the neck, for a moment. He lets go and Tafa swings wildly, missing his mark. Vanderaa attempts a head kick to close the round but narrowly misses his mark.
MyMMANews scores round 1 for Jared Vanderaa. 10-9
Round 2: Both fighters begin the round trading jabs and then kicks. Vanderaa lands a thudding body kick that echoes throughout the arena. He follows with a head kick attempt but Tafa is able to block. Vanderaa continues working his head and leg kicks, keeping Tafa guessing. Vanderaa picks up the pace with his strikes after landing a successful combination. Rushing inside, Vanderaa pushes Tafa against the cage and both fighters explode in a brief slugfest. Vanderaa exits to create space and gets back to work from a distance. Vanderaa was cut deeply on the left side of his face in an accidental head clash while striking against the fence and begins bleeding profusely. Vanderaa gets to work from the outside utilizing his leg kicks. Tafa closes the round head hunting, landing a hard shot upstairs that wobbles Vanderaa to close the round.
MyMMANews scores round 2 for Jared Vanderaa. 10-9
Round 3: Neither fighter wastes time and gets to work trading jabs. Vanderaa adds a leg kick on several occasions after punching that find their mark. Tafa blitzes forward looking in an effort to take Vanderaa out and Vanderaa uses his jab to keep his opponent away. In the middle of the round, both fighters have landed hard with their respective strikes with neither man backing down. Vanderaa lands several hard hooks when the fight works its way to the fence, momentarily. Tafa picks up the pace, swinging and landing heavily, stunning Vanderaa. In a clinch, Vanderaa lands an accidental low blow to call a halt in the action briefly at the 37 second mark. The fight resumes and Vanderaa sets a very active pace in an effort to keep Tafa off balance from throwing effectively. Vanderaa continues his output in succession, preventing Tafa from getting off anything until the final bell sounds.
MyMMANews scores round 3 for Jared Vanderaa 10-9.
Official scorecards: (30-27), (30-27), (29-28)
Official result: Jared Vanderaa defeats Justin Tafa via unanimous decision.
