World’s toughest eshay Tai Tuivasa talks beer and Nathan Cleary ahead of Cyril Gane UFC fight

Tai Tuivasa said he’s ready to convert French fans ahead of a potential monumental showdown against Cyril Gane for a chance at the UFC heavyweight championship.

Fresh off a stunning victory over knockout king Derrick Lewis in front of his home crowd in Houston, Tuivasa is within touching distance of a title shot, and he looks set to fight the French no.1 contender at an event in Paris in September. 

The proud western Sydney local, who spoke to Daily Mail Australia from the site of his new Penrith brewery where he announced his lager Drink West will become the official beer of UFC Australia, said he’s ready to win over France like he did the USA.

‘We take over. I’ve got nothing to hide, I am me. Give me any crowd, I’ll turn them. They’ll be onside,’ Tuivasa said.

‘[France] will love me too, don’t worry about that.’

Tai Tuivasa has launched his new lager Drink West, a beer aimed at ‘normal’ Aussies ‘who just dropped work and want to sink p***’

He launched the beer with alongside NRL star Nathan Cleary, Shannon Noll and fellow UFC fighter Tyson Pedro by singing Noll’s iconic anthem What About Me

Tuivasa has become the darling of the UFC because of his entertaining fights, brutal knockouts and larger-than-life personality.

He’s walked out to the octagon to songs including Barbie Girl and Girls Just Wanna Have Fun because they ‘remind him of driving in the car with Mum’, and celebrates his victories by doing a shoey atop the cage.

The Mount Druitt boy said he felt a responsibility to ‘The Area’ to stay true to himself and not forget where he came from.

‘I represent the west, I represent houso kids, that’s my testament. Have a crack, you’re either going to lose or win,’ Tuivasa told Daily Mail Australia.

‘We represent normal people, normal workers. I’m a normal c***. Of course I’m famous, but if you be a d***head to me I’ll slap you in the mouth.’

The 29-year-old’s trademark shoey celebration following victories has won him fans around the world

The 29-year-old said he has ‘earned a lot of respect’ from the people of western Sydney because he remains visible, living and training in the same place he grew up in. 

‘I’m a hoodlum, this is my escape. I get a lot of respect from people around here because I haven’t changed,’ he said.

‘I haven’t become a pastor, I just knock c***s out around the world. It used to be just at the pub and no one knew about it, now I get to travel the world.’   

Tuivasa shocked Derrick Lewis and his home crowd in Houston with a brutal knockout at UFC271 in February

Drink West launched with a hilarious ad that features Tuivasa, partner and fellow UFC fighter Tyson Pedro and Penrith Panthers captain Nathan Cleary singing Shannon Noll’s iconic anthem What About Me.

Tuivasa and Pedro, who admitted they come from families of singers, shocked the audience with their pipes but it was Cleary’s awful voice that stole the show.

‘The producers were telling us to sing over the top of Nathan to cover up his vocals, we said, “Nah, f*** that, turn him up!” It was hilarious, it made the ad,’ Tyson said.

Tuivasa was the ‘genius’ behind the commercial, that eventually sees Noll burst through a crowd of tradies and locals singing his cover of the Moving Pictures classic.

‘I’m pretty good on the marketing side of things. Shannon Noll is from Condobolin, that’s where my family is from. Also it’s the best song, that’s Australian fun,’ he said.

‘I’ve walked out to that song, it resonates. It’s a f***ing Australian song, it’s a beer song. If you’re at the pub and that comes on, everyone’s singing.’

He said the tasting sessions when coming up with the beer behind Drink West were infamous and that he and Tyson were probably ‘too involved’.

‘We did have a few taste test sessions. We said we’d try one can each, ended up going through five cases,’ Tuivasa told Daily Mail Australia. 

‘We did karaoke, that was our taste test. We did dress up karaoke for the taste test.’

The pair said the goal was to create a beer at VB drinkers would like but that had a softer aftertaste.

‘We wanted it like a VB, to taste harsh but finish nicer. You want to know it’s a beer, not a f***ing fruity tingle. You’ll sink them, after a few they’ll creep up on you.’

The beer is meant to be one for the Aussie battlers, saying they wanted to kick the craft pale ale trend and make a simple drop.

‘This is a normal drinking beer, c***s drop off work. They’ve been scaffolding all day. This is their beer,’ he said.

‘This is what this represents. This is what I represent.’