Justin Willis played the role of spoiler on Sunday afternoon in Australia, defeating national treasure Mark Hunt via plodding decision. Willis was more than content to keep Hunt well on the outside, circling endlessly and jabbing at the “Super Samoan” just enough to stay ahead on the scorecards.
Entertaining, it was not. To the point where it’s kind of fortuitous that Willis got himself into a feud with Hunt protege and UFC Adelaide headliner Tai Tuivasa, or we probably wouldn’t be talking about him at all right now.
Tuivasa and Willis had a run-in at the weigh-ins, and after his win Willis called out “Bam Bam”, declaring “Tell Tai Tuivasa: Australia is mine!” Tuivasa was quick to respond, making a rare post-loss callout in the cage and even inviting Willis to tussle in the arena parking lot. Getting that fight may not be as simple as it should be. Since Tuivasa dropped his main event fight to Junior dos Santos, Willis is now pumping the brakes on a potential bout between the two.
”He’s concussed,” Willis told reporters at the post fight press conference (video via Submission Radio). “The guy just lost in his home country, how embarrassing. It’s one of those things where you’re the main event, you come in here and you get knocked out and you call out a guy who beat up your daddy. You’re gonna have to win a fight or two, then we’ll talk. I’m on to greener pastures. Top 5, I’m after a belt. And he’s not that guy right now.”
Willis gave his thoughts on the weigh-in confrontation that started their bad blood.
”He’s going in and protecting his daddy, what do you expect him to do?” he said. “Mark, this is a fight, man. This is the fight game, not the like game. I’m not here to make friends. I’m here to dominate these guys, by any means necessary. I’m here to win. I don’t care if it’s a decision, a knockout, a split decision. I don’t give a flying you know what. I don’t give a f**k.”
We have a feeling the UFC is going to want to strike while the beef is raw between these two. But if Willis has any say in the matter, it will have to happen in North America.
”Will I come to Australia again? No,” he said. “My whole thing now is I’ve conquered Scotland, I’ve conquered Australia, I’ve conquered Japan. It’s time for me to start conquering the United States of America. And I’m telling everyone this. I’ll only fight in Vegas, the Bay Area, or New York. Or a major venue like Dallas Cowboys Stadium. But in America. Don’t come at me with none of this foreign s**t no more. Big Pretty is staying home.”
Get the latest gear
