Tai Tuivasa is a UFC fighter that regularly gets linked with alcohol. It stems from his gimmick of drinking a beer out of a shoe after winning fights. Recently he revealed that alcohol played a role in his upcoming fight with Derrick Lewis.

Tai Tuivasa was offered the fight with Derrick Lewis by the UFC’s matchmaker. Everything that happened was a bit of a blur for the Australian heavyweight.

“I was on the piss; I was blind [drunk],” Tuivasa revealed to ESPN. “I didn’t notice until the next morning that [UFC matchmaker] Mick Maynard messaged me and I had messaged back. He messaged, ‘Are you awake,’ and I was like, ‘Yeah’; it was like 4:30 in the morning. And then I woke up to 20 missed calls from my manager, from my coach Sully [Shaun Sullivan] and shit like that, so I was like, ‘Something must have happened.’”

Live and breathe sports?

🚨 Get viral graphics, memes, rumors and trending sports news delivered right to your inbox with the Clutch Newsletter.

Luckily, Tai Tuivasa would have said ‘yes’ regardless of how drunk he was. Fighting a top-5 ranked UFC heavyweight like Derrick Lewis is not something you can turn down.

“It’s a great opportunity” Tuivasa continued. “Obviously, he’s No. 2 or No. 3 or whatever he is. He’s a fan favorite; I’m a fan favorite. I really respect Derrick, what he’s done and the person he is. Why wouldn’t I say yes? I think it’s all win-win, it’s an opportunity for me, so I’m all in. And I think it’s my time, it’s my time to take over and become the new [revered] fighter of my generation, just like he was before me. I think it’s my time to take over.”