SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - FEBRUARY 01: (L-R) Billy Elekana of the USA secures Junior Tafa of Australia choke hold to win in a light heavyweight fight during the UFC 325: Volkanovski v Lopes 2 at Qudos Bank Arena on February 01, 2026 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mark Kolbe Photography/Getty Images) | Getty ImagesDan HiergesellSun, February 1, 2026 at 2:19 AM UTC·2 min readBilly Elekana turned in the biggest win of his career thus far earlier tonight (Sat., Jan. 31, 2026) at UFC 325 LIVE on Paramount+ from inside Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia, putting an end to New Zealand fighter Junior Tafa with a second-round submission (rear-naked choke).
Elekana, who possesses a well-rounded skill set, was a surprising betting underdog for this “Prelims” headliner. The light heavyweight fighter came into Saturday night with only three trips to the Octagon under his belt, but he’s shown good wrinkles to his game both on the feet and on the ground. Fans knew Elekana would have to get past Tafa’s one-punch knockout power, but he certainly had a good shot at doing it.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementTafa looked good physically to start the fight, which is a big step in the right direction considering the shape he used to carry. The Australian fighter landed some good shots early on and even dropped Elekana to bring the Sydney crowd to its feet. The tides turned in the second round, though, as Elekana was able to start landing on the feet and eventually worked in his wrestling. That led to a rear-naked choke attempt and an eventual tap from Tafa, who is now just 2-5 inside of the Octagon.
Check out the video highlights below and let us know if we’ll see Tafa fight in UFC again!
For complete UFC 325 results, coverage, and highlights click HERE.
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