UFC 331 results: Tai Tuivasa ties UFCs all-time loss record with ugly fight against Robelis

Tai Tuivasa has stumbled into an unfortunate corner of UFC history.

The Australian heavyweight suffered his eighth consecutive Octagon loss Saturday night at UFC 331, losing an ugly and sloppy affair in a split decision against Robelis Despaigne at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. In doing so, Tuivasa — a 33-year-old bruiser who once was on the verge of UFC title contention — moved into a tie for the longest losing streak in promotional history, matching the same mark held by Tony Ferguson.

Two judges scored the contest 29-28 for the Cuban big man, who appeared to gas out after the first round, while the lone dissenter gave Tuivasa a 29-28 nod of his own.

Despaigne (7-2) came out like a house afire, tagging Tuivasa (14-11) with big punches and badly hurting the Aussie in the opening striking exchanges. Tuivasa, however, gritted through the worst of it and seized momentum in the second frame, taking advantage of his seemingly exhausted opponent by controlling much of the action in the clinch and against the fence to pull the fight into a tie heading into the final round.

Despaigne had never before won a professional bout that went past the opening five minutes, yet summoned enough strength to secure a crucial takedown down the stretch. His ensuing top control ultimately proved to be the difference-maker on the scorecards.

Tuivasa is now 0-8 since nearly upsetting Ciryl Gane in a September 2022 battle that propelled Gane into a UFC title shot. Tuivasa had won five fights in a row prior to that result, and had firmly entrenched himself as a perennial and fan-favorite UFC contender.

For Despaigne, though Saturday's performance may not have been the prettiest, it at least kicked off his second Octagon stint with a win. The towering 6-foot-7 Olympic medalist in taekwondo exited the UFC in late 2024 following a pair of uninspired losses, but earned his way back with a brutal knockout of former UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos on Netflix's Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano card this past May.

Check out complete UFC 331 results, highlights and round-by-round updates here.