Justin Tafa Replaces Brother, Meets Karl Williams at UFC on ESPN 53

Justin Tafa is returning the favor for his sibling.

The elder Tafa will replace his brother, Junior Tafa, and face Karl Williams at UFC on ESPN 53 on March 23. MMA Mania was first to report the new heavyweight matchup, and it was later confirmed by Williams on social media.

Junior Tafa previously stepped in on short notice when Justin Tafa suffered an undisclosed injury during fight week ahead of UFC 298. Junior would go on to suffer a second-round TKO defeat to Marcos Rogerio de Lima at the Feb. 17 event in Anaheim, California.

Justin Tafa is unbeaten in his last four Octagon appearances. Most recently, the 30-year-old Aussie knocked out Austen Lane in 82 seconds at UFC 293 this past September.

A winner on Dana White's Contender Series in 2022, Williams has been victorious in nine of his 10 professional outings. He is 2-0 in UFC competition, with back-to-back decision triumphs over Lukasz Brzeski and Chase Sherman to his credit.

UFC on ESPN 53 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and is headlined by a flyweight clash pitting Amanda Ribas against Rose Namajunas.