UFC Vegas 88: Tuivasa vs Tybura – 3.16.2024 – Fight Predictions and Analysis
Welcome to our collaborative coverage of UFC Vegas 88: Tuivasa vs Tybura. Tonight we have action returning to The Apex in Las Vegas after a great pay-per-view last weekend. Our analysis includes a pick for every bout from Dynes Sports contributors Anthony Marro and Nicholas Marro.
As coverage continues, we will keep our records up to date below. Be sure to check out our full reasoning for every pick though as records will not reflect confidence. We will be picking every fight, but likely only recommend betting on a select few.
Current Record
- Anthony: 67-30-0 (Last Year 307-199-6, 61%)
- Nick: 61-36-0 (Last Year 324-182-6, 64%)
*Fight odds were last updated from Bet99 on 3-15-2024 at 10pm EST
Preliminary Card- Starts 4:00pm EST
Charalampos Grigoriou -165 vs Chad Anheliger +135
- Anthony: Opening the card is a bantamweight fight between Chad Anheliger and Charalampos Grigoriou. This is the UFC debut for Grigoriou after what was an impressive win on Dana White’s Contender Series. Anheliger seems like a favorable draw in his debut as the veteran seems to be on his way out. After hitting a stride late in his career and winning nine straight, Anheliger has now gotten bested in consecutive fights. He is moving up from flyweight now at age 37 no longer capable of making the drastic weight cut. While Anheliger can always make fights interesting by grappling and wearing on opponents, he will struggle to close the distance against an opponent like Grigoriou. We have seen fast hands on display before from Grigoriou and I expect him to tough up Anheliger here on the feet. Although I consider Grigoriou relatively unproven he still feels like the safe play here as I fade Anheliger. The resume for Grigoriou is not very good but he has a good build for this weight class and a great team around him at Serra Longo in New York. Charalampos Grigoriou by Round Three KO
- Nick: Chad Angeliger is 37 years old, so if he’s going to make any noise in the UFC he’ll need to secure some wins in a hurry. He’s 1-2 in the UFC, most recently falling via submission to Jose Johnson back in November of 2023. He’s decent everywhere, with seven of his twelve professional wins coming via KO and three coming via submission, but he really hasn’t found any success against UFC level opposition. Charalampos Grigoriou will be making his UFC debut here, coming off an impressive KO win over Cameron Smotherman in the Contender Series. He is 8-3 professionally, training at a quality gym via Longo And Weidman MMA. He is 31-years old and 8-3 professionally. He’s on a four fight win-streak, all via KO, and he’s taken on a generally decent level of regional opponents. This is a very low level match-up, which makes it a difficult fight to predict. I do expect Grigoriou can work behind his jab here as he edges this one out on the scorecards. Charalampos Grigoriou by Decision
Thiago Moises -420 vs Mitch Ramirez +310
- Anthony: The next fight will take place at lightweight with Thiago Moises set to face Mitch Ramirez. This is a short notice appearance for Ramirez who steps in as a replacement for the injured Brad Ridell. His only career loss came on Dana White’s Contender Series when he was KOd by Carlos Prates in round two. Now he is getting an opportunity to fight in the promotion although he may not really be UFC material. He is a well-rounded martial artist with good kicks and heavy hands. Ramirez is a more dangerous striker than Moises but the Brazilian has developed his hands quite impressively these past few years. Moises’ bread is buttered on the mat though and against Ramirez he will have a decisive grappler advantage. Eight of his professional wins have come by way of submission. I expect Moises to get in on the legs of Ramirez here quickly, shooting in from the southpaw stance. I doubt Ramirez will survive long in these grappling exchanges given the abbreviated fight camp he had. He simply does not have the jiu jitsu to defend against a credentialed black belt like this one. Thiago Moises by Round One Submission
- Nick: Moises is a jiu jitsu specialist. He has a black belt under Paulo Streckert and boasts eight professional victories by submission. He was formally ranked as a lightweight, with notable wins over Bobby Green, Michael Johnson, and Alexander Hernandez. He had a better performance against Islam Makhachev than most of Makhachev’s opponents. His striking is fairly predictable but he’s a talented grappler who seems to improve everytime we see him in the cage. He’s coming off a tough loss to Benoit Saint-Denis, but Saint-Denis is widely regarded as one of the better prospects in the world at 155 lbs. Mitch Ramirez will be making his UFC debut here, taking this fight on short notice as a replacement for Brad Riddell. Ramirez is 8-1 professionally, 31-years old, fighting out of a well known camp via Syndicate MMA. He’s coming off a win for LFA via KO of Aireon Tavarres. He had previously lost on Contender Series to Carlos Prates, so there’s a good chance he wouldn’t be on the roster had he not taken this very difficult fight on short notice here. Ramirez can be dangerous early here, but I have trouble expecting him to keep pace with a fighter like Moises on short notice. Thiago Moises by Round One Submission
Cory McKenna -185 vs Jaqueline Amorim +150
- Anthony: This is an interesting fight at women’s strawweight between Cory McKenna and Jaqueline Amorim. Offensive grappling is Amorim’s strength, effectively using jiu jitsu to threaten submissions and keep a dominant position over her opponents. Her most likely path to victory here is catching McKenna in a sub. I will roll the dice and take McKenna expecting her to fight a smart game plan here. Her offensive wrestling is great and I imagine she can keep safe if Amorim spends a majority of this fight in her guard. McKenna has landed multiple takedowns in her previous three fights. I’d rather see her keep this fight standing but if she does look for takedowns of her own I feel comfortable. McKenna has also proven to fight hard for fifteen minutes while I am still a bit skeptical of Amorim’s cardio late. Amorim has a sizable reach advantage in this fight but the more meaningful strikes will come from McKenna here. Her technical boxing is much more effective. Cory McKenna by Decision
- Nick: Cory McKenna has a very strong wrestling base and does a good job finding submissions against inferior grapplers. She’s still a bit early in her career development, but she’s already very strong for her age and capable of scoring takedowns from a variety of positions. Her striking continues to improve, but she’s hittable in exchanges and she doesn’t really throw with much power or speed. She’s coming off back-to-back wins, but it’s notable she has been out of action since December of 2022. Jaqueline Amorim is 7-1 professionally, coming off a win via ground-and-pound KO over Montserrat Conejo Ruiz. As a former LFA Strawweight Champion Amorim is fairly well-rounded, but her greatest strength is certainly her offensive grappling ability. Five of her seven professional wins have come via submission. She’s excellent on the mat, but she’s small for the division. Her wrestling entries leave a lot to be desired and while her striking has continued to improve, it’s still far from a strength for her at the UFC level. Amorim will be live for an upset via submission here, but that’s her only path to victory. I expect McKenna to stay out of danger on her way to another win. Cory McKenna by Decision
Josh Culibao -185 vs Danny Silva +150
- Anthony: Expect fireworks here with featherweights Josh Culibao and Danny Silva set to go to war. It is the UFC debut for Silva who impressed on Dana White’s Contender Series last fall. That fight saw Silva connect with more than 200 significant strikes at a whopping 64 percent land rate. He is an accurate striker out of both stances and willing to engage for long periods in the pocket. We should see a brawl between these two fighters as Culibao is also accustomed to hucking leather. He is more defensively responsible than Silva and also the much harder hitting. Culibao has yet to score a takedown in the UFC but he does grapple well. I could see him beating Silva with some clinch work here, fighting the more savvy fight. Silva will likely start hot here but as these two start to trade blows, Culibao should hold up better in rounds two and three. Silva was more than two pounds heavy on the scales. Culibao is the rightful favorite but not somebody I am rushing to bet on this weekend. Josh Culibao by Decision
- Nick: Josh Culibao is fairly well-rounded, but he is most content to stand and trade on the feet. He has shown excellent durability and a strong overall fight IQ. It seems he always makes correct decisions regardless of whether he’s winning or losing a fight. He’s likely going to be the more active fighter in this match-up, and he’s also going to have a cardio advantage. He has only lost to top level competition, and he has won three of his last four fights under the UFC banner. Danny Silva will be making his UFC debut here, coming off a decision win on Dana White’s Contender Series over Angel Pacheco. Silva is primarily a striker. He is 8-1 professionally, with five of those wins coming via KO. He’s a decent grappler, but it’s rare he leans on that part of his game. Simply put, I expect Culibao to outclass Silva in this match-up. He’s going to have superior grappling and a durability advantage on the feet. I’m also comfortable backing Culibao as he’s been facing a much higher level of competition compared to Silva. Josh Culibao by Decision
Jafel Filho -160 vs Ode Osbourne +130
- Anthony: Here we have a flyweight fight with Jafel Filho taking on Ode Osbourne. Filho has very few quality names on his resume but there is no denying the talent of the Brazilian. He is a black belt who trains with an elite team of grapplers at Nova União. Not often do you see flyweights able to control fights on the mat as well as Filho. He is especially good early in fights when his cardio is untapped and opponents are dry. Osbourne is a rather weak purple belt with three losses by submission in his career. I certainly rate Osbourne the more dangerous striker of these two but Filho will dominate in this fight if successful getting to the mat. Osbourne often will expose his neck in an attempt to get up from bottom position. I think Filho is the rightful favorite here given the decisive advantage he possesses on the ground. Osbourne is not worth playing at these odds with a UFC record of only 4-4. Jafel Filho by Round Two Submission
- Nick: Ode Osbourne has crisp striking and he does an excellent job switching stances. He has a powerful back-step power kick; he does a good job diversifying his strikes, and more often than not he’s able to lean on his athleticism to drown his opponents. He works well at range, but he sometimes leaves himself open to counters in exchanges. His wrestling leaves a lot to be desired, but he does carry an arsenal of dangerous submissions if his fights hit the mat. He’s coming off a tough loss via submission to Asu Almabaev, and he’s in another difficult stylistic match-up here against a dangerous grappler in Filho. Filho gained a lot of attention off a loss in his UFC debut, where Filho took on Muhammad Mokaev and nearly finished him in a very close fight as a massive underdog.. Filho showed effective striking, and excellent wrestling and BJJ in that match-up. He nearly finished Mokaev via kneebar, before he was eventually reversed and submitted late in the third round. He has since secured an impressive win via submission over Daniel Barez. He is 30-years old and 15-3 professionally, with nine of those wins coming via submission. This is a linear fight in that Osbourne will likely win if he can keep this fight standing, but he’ll be in big trouble if Filho can take him down. I slightly prefer the grappler here in what should be a fun matchup for however long it lasts. Jafel Filho by Round Two Submission
Josiane Nunes -145 vs Chelsea Chandler +120
- Anthony: Next is a women’s bantamweight matchup between Josiane Nunes and Chelsea Chandler. This seems like a rather linear fight to handicap. Nunes is a massive power threat in this division, doing nothing more than sling looping overhands and punishing shots to the body. Nunes constantly applies pressure to her opponents and throws at a very high workrate whilst moving forward. Chandler is more sound fundamentally in her boxing but still a rather green fighter in the stand up. She is a strong bantamweight but relies heavily on grappling to find success in her fights. While Chandler is heavier and significantly bigger than Nunes I still imagine she has trouble bringing this fight to the mat. She will look like a great underdog play if capable of grounding Nunes but Chandler will have to be careful not to eat too many blows on her way in. Nunes is the more potent finisher and I expect her to clip Chandler early in this bout. Josiane Nunes by Round Two KO
- Nick: Josiane Nunes is 3-0 under the UFC banner, most recently edging out a decision over a much bigger opponent in Zarah Fairn. She’s small for the division, but very tough and powerful with surprisingly advanced boxing ability. She throws her overhand right constantly, but her toughness and willingness to eat punches allows her to land it enough to put away lower level competition. Chandler is just 5-2 professionally. Her record suggests she’s inexperienced, but she shows a well rounded game when you watch her on film. She has powerful boxing, dangerous BJJ, and her cardio seems solid as well. She is coming off an ugly decision loss to Norma Dumont, but she showed solid durability in the fight in spite of the fact she was significantly outclassed. This is a low level and a volatile match-up, but I do expect Chandler can execute a grappling heavy gameplan on her way to a win. Chelsea Chandler by Decision
Mike Davis -500 vs Natan Levy +360
- Anthony: This is a lightweight matchup between Mike Davis and Natan Levy. I am surprised to see odds so wide on a fight that I view as rather volatile. Davis has fought just once since 2021 and while that was a dominant performance over Viacheslav Borshchev, Levy presents an entirely different stylistic challenge. Both of these men tend to utilize frequent offense wrestling when inside of the octagon. Davis is certainly the better wrestler of these two but I find it hard to predict what grappling exchanges look like between them. Levy is the more dangerous jiu jitsu practitioner and a threat to win by submission in this spot. Davis I rate as the better striker here but not by an extremely considerable margin. We have not seen Levy really let his hands go yet but he is a hard hitting lightweight that does well with his high kicks and approach from range. Davis may have the boxing to really light up Levy but otherwise I predict this to be a very close fight. Levy is a good bet as the underdog now that these odds have grown so wide. After being tempted to take Levy at opening odds of +200 I will certainly be betting on him today at +360 or better. Natan Levy by Decision
- Nick: Mike Davis is a technical brawler who is extremely dangerous on the feet. Seven of his nine professional wins have come via KO. He has underrated wrestling ability as well, and his only professional losses came to extremely tough outs in Sodiq Yusuff and Gilbert Burns. At 30-years-old here it seems he’s entering his prime, but he’s been out of action since October of 2022 and he is developing a reputation as a generally inactive fighter. Natan Levy is a karate style striker who also has excellent BJJ. He dropped a close decision in his UFC debut to a tough out in Rafa Garcia, but he has since strung together three consecutive decision wins. He seems to have upside in terms of his career trajectory, but there’s no denying the fact he’s still developing his skills. Like Davis, he has been out of action since 2022. Levy continues to show improvements, but I still don’t think he’s on the level of Davis. Davis should be able to mostly keep this fight standing and pick Levy apart on the feet. Mike Davis by Round Three KO
Main Card- Starts 7:00pm EST
Gerald Meerschaert -245 vs Bryan Barberena +190
- Anthony: The first main card bout is a middleweight fight between Bryan Barberena and Gerald Meershaert. These two veterans have combined for 39 appearances in the promotion. Both are showing signs of age with Barberena losing three straight as he enters today’s bout. He is still a threat with his boxing and heavy hands, but Barberena now struggles to fight hard when his fights end up going late. Barberena also has poor grappling defense, stuffing just 49 percent of his opponent’s takedown attempts. Meerschaert will want to shoot on Barberena here and utilize his offensive jiu jitsu. While Meerschaert has slowed down considerably, he is still a handful to deal with in prolonged grappling exchanges. I expect him to build the later that this fight goes, eventually causing Barberena to submit. He is the rightful favorite but I would never recommend betting him at -240 against anyone. Meerschaert’s best days are behind him and at this age he cannot be trusted to win the fights he is supposed to. Gerald Meerschaert by Round Two Submission
- Nick: Gerald Meerschaert is well-rounded, but most of his professional wins have come via submission. He’s a highly skilled BJJ black belt with a seemingly endless arsenal of attacks on the ground. As good as Meerschaert is on the mat, he sometimes has trouble getting the fight there. His takedown entries leave a lot to be desired and his wrestling ability is questionable at best. He’s coming off back-to-back losses, most recently falling via decision to Andre Petroski back in August of 2023. Bryan Barbarena has fought some of the toughest welterweights in the UFC, but he recently made the move up to middleweight. He’s primarily a brawler, and while it is evident he’s past his prime, he’s still very dangerous when striking at range or out of breaks. He’s 34 years-old and coming off three straight losses, so there’s a chance he’s fighting for his roster spot here in this match-up. This is another grappler vs. striker match-up. If this fight takes place on the feet I expect Barberena to score a KO and if it hits the mat I expect Meerschaert to find a submission. This is a low confidence play, but I do prefer Meerschaert here. Barberena’s takedown defense has been mostly terrible, so if he can’t find a quick KO he’s likely in over his head on the mat. Gerald Meerschaert by Round One Submission
Macy Chiasson -260 vs Pannie Kianzad +200
- Anthony: This is a women’s bantamweight contest between Pannie Kianzad and Macy Chiasson. I have no interest in betting on this fight although Chiasson seems to warrant her role as betting favorite. These two fighters met previously when Chiasson submitted Kianzad in 2018. Since then both women are 5-3. Chiasson looked good in her last match with Irene Aldana before a shot to the liver put her down. She is much bigger than Kianzad and also the harder hitting fighter. While I figure this to largely be a fight on the feet, Chiasson has proven to be more effective with her grappling than Kianzad. Her size allows her to score takedowns easily and control most of her competition. She should be the more effective clinch fighter here and the likely winner if this does go a full fifteen. Macy Chiasson by Decision
- Nick: Pannie Kianzad is a dangerous muay-thai style striker who does her best work in the clinch. She’s coming off a hard fought loss via decision to a tough out in Ketlen Vieira. She is 16-7 professionally, with three of those wins coming via KO. Kianzad has shown improvements in her grappling, but there’s no denying she prefers to fight on the feet. Similar to Kianzad, Macy Chiasson is most effective striking in the clinch. She carries a powerful muay-thai base from which she mixes in dangerous elbows. She uses her reach well, but she is most effective when she closes distance and pulls her opponents into her strikes. This is a tough fight to call as both of these women have extremely similar styles and strengths. I do see Chiasson as the rightful favorite though as she’s the better grappler if she decides to lean on that part of her game and she should likely have a power advantage here as well. A low confidence play at the price, but Chiasson is the play. Macy Chiasson by Decision
Isaac Dulgarian -200 vs Christian Rodriguez +160
- Anthony: I am excited for this featherweight matchup between Isaac Dulgarian and Christian Rodriguez. Dulgarian really impressed in his UFC debut, cashing in as an underdog against Francis Marshall. The 6-0 Dulgarian is a product of factoryX with a very bright fighting future ahead of him. He has been extremely active since his amateur debut and constantly adding tools to his arsenal. A lot of fighters will struggle to combat Dulgarian’s grappling pursuit and great offensive wrestling. He is known for his ground skills, but I view Dulgarian as a very dangerous striker too. I think it would favor him to keep things standing here against CeeRod, someone who has proven to have adequate takedown defense. We should be in for some good scrambles on the mat if these two do in fact engage there. Rodriguez should oblige Dulgarian when it comes to kickboxing and I favor Isaac the longer that it stays in that realm. He has better kicks than Rodriguez and the muay thai to dominate exchanges in close. Isaac Dulgarian by Decision
- Nick: Christian Rodriguez is certainly going to be the toughest test for Dulgarian to date. Rodriguez is primarily a striker. He’s capable of utilizing a grappling heavy gameplan in certain match-ups, but he seems most comfortable exchanging on the feet. He has decent BJJ both offensively and defensively, which was evident in each of his most recent wins over highly regarded prospects in Raul Rosas Jr. and Cameron Saaiman. He is 10-1 professionally and 3-1 in the UFC. At just 26-years old he’s certainly a prospect to keep an eye on. Isaac Dulgarian is 5-0 professionally, with all of those wins coming via first round finish. He’s most recently coming off an impressive win over Francis Marshall in his UFC debut. He’s an extremely aggressive striker with true KO power, but it’s tough to gauge where he’s at in terms of cardio or durability as we’ve never seen him extended beyond the first round. Christian Rodriguez will be moving up to featherweight here following back to back weight misses at bantamweight. The line is wide, but I do expect the size advantage for Dulgarian to be enough for him to find the early finish he needs. Isaac Dulgarian by Round One KO
Kennedy Nzechukwu -700 vs Ovince Saint Preux +500
- Anthony: Next is a booking at light heavyweight between Kenendy Nzechukwu and Ovince Saint Preux. At 40 years old, Ovince Saint Preux may be fighting here for the last time in the UFC. The longtime veteran has always been a favorite of mine but the past few years saw OSP take a steep decline. He is no longer a top tier fighter, reluctant to engage and eager to find a way out when fights aren’t going to plan. It took less than a minute for Philipe Lins to stop OSP in his most recent appearance last year. Nzechukwu is traditionally a rather slow starter but he won’t be able to help putting his hands on Saint Preux early. Nzechukwu fights much longer than Saint Preux and benefits from a three-inch edge in reach over him. Saint Preux will not be willing to engage long with Nzechukwu, making him impossible to pick even at juicy dog odds. His only chance here will be landing a left hand or somehow hitting a miracle Von Flue choke. Nzechukwu should dictate the pace of this bout while keeping Saint Preux at the end of his strikes. Kennedy Nzechukwu by Round Two KO
- Nick: The biggest knock on Nzechukwu is his low output and tendency to stay excessively conservative. He often spends too much time just waiting for fights to come to him. He’s a dangerous striker and technically sound offensively, but his extreme tentativeness prevents him from dominating inferior opponents. He is coming off an ugly KO loss to Dustin Jacoby, but prior to that he was on a three fight win streak all via finish. While he’s still primarily a striker, he has been leaning on his offensive grappling more lately. There is no denying his BJJ has come a very long way since he debuted with the UFC back in 2019. OSP was once a top contender, but his career has been on a major downturn of late. He’s coming off an ugly KO loss to Phillipe Lins. There is no denying he has been inconsistent, but he still has a lot of power in his strikes. Additionally, his signature Von Flue choke has to be a concern for any of his opponents. OSP still has finishing ability, even this late in his career. The line feels a bit wide here, but St. Preux is in the twilight of his career and Nzechukwu continues to show massive improvements everytime we see him fight. His size, youth, and athleticism are likely going to be too much for St. Preux in this match-up. Kennedy Nzechukwu by Round Two KO
Bryan Battle -185 vs Ange Loosa +150
- Anthony: The co-main event is a welterweight fight between Ange Loosa and Bryan Battle. These are two compelling prospects at 170 pounds although I rate Battle much more highly to this point. He is 5-1 in the UFC and fresh off another win by finish last fall. He does not land the same rate of strikes as Loosa but does connect with much better accuracy. I expect him to handily control Loosa here on the feet with rather polished offensive striking. Loosa will likely implement some wrestling in this spot as he stands across from a taller and more skilled opponent. Closing the distance is not usually an issue for Loosa but he does not always score well from tighter clinch positions. Battle will want to keep himself at range to land his offense and defend against any takedowns today. Loosa can win a boring decision here but Battle should prove himself the more skilled athlete over the course of fifteen minutes. Battle also has much better finishing equity compared to Loosa who has not won by stoppage since 2016. He is one of my favorite bets on the card even now as he swells to odds of near -190. Bryan Battle by Decision
- Nick: Ange Loosa telegraphs many of his strikes and his footwork is far from refined, but his athleticism and overall explosiveness allows him to find success in exchanges. Loosa lands more than five significant strikes per minute. He’s a decent grappler and strong for the division, but his cardio has been somewhat questionable. He is 2-1 in the UFC, coming off back-to-back decision wins over rising prospects in AJ Fletcher and Rhys McKee. He stayed a step ahead of his opponents in both of those fights, and he’ll be looking to build on that momentum here against another young welterweight in Battle. Bryan Battle is a well-rounded fighter who continues to make dramatic improvements in all facets of his game. Battle does well striking at range. He’s a decent counter-grappler with advanced BJJ, but his overall takedown defense seems suspect at best. He is certainly most content to stand and trade on the feet, coming off back to back wins over Gabe Green and AJ Fletcher Battle is going to have a 3” reach advantage here. He’s the better technical striker and I fully expect his defensive grappling to show improvement from what we’ve seen to this point in his career. Loosa is going to have a grappling advantage here, but it’s unlikely that it is enough to keep Battle grounded for long. Another low confidence play, but I’m siding with the favorite. Bryan Battle by Round Three Submission
Tai Tuivasa -120 vs Marcin Tybura +100
- Anthony: The main event is a fun tilt between top ten heavyweights Tai Tuivasa and Marcin Tybura. Tuivasa has his back against the wall here after losing three fights in a row. While I give Tai a pass for KO losses against Sergei Pavlovich and Ciryl Gane, his loss to Volkov last year concerns me. Tuivasa has got hurt early in all of his recent fights and devolved into a brawler. Rather than setting up his hands with powerful low kicks we are seeing him more desperate to land big overhand bombs. I do like Tuivasa’s chances of hurting Tybura but the longer this fight gets extended the worse off he will be. Tybura has performed well against most of the division’s top fifteen, grinding out wins with his pressure and intense grappling. While Tybura cedes quite a few pounds to Tuivasa, he can still use technique to score takedowns and control the bigger man. It will be imperative for Tuivasa to land with power early and keep his back off of the octagon side. Otherwise Tybura will eventually wear down Tuivasa and find himself a finish inside of five rounds. With Tuivasa also fresh off meniscus surgery I worry about his takedown defense. He enters this bout with a defense rate of only 54 percent. Marcin Tybura by Round Three KO
- Nick: We have a fun heavyweight match-up here that is very likely to end inside the distance. Tai Tuivasa’s clearest path to victory is always via the knockout punch. He’s coming off three straight losses for the first time in his career, but those came against the division’s top contenders in Ciryl Gane, Sergei Pavlovich, and Alexander Volkov. Tuivasa continues to show improvement in all facets of his game, but his power is what keeps him in fights. He’s likely going to be outclassed by his opponent here, especially in the grappling department. Still, his power gives him a quality chance to score that knockout win. Marcin Tybura is decent on the feet, but most of his success has come via his wrestling. Tybura is a BJJ black belt and one of the better offensive grapplers in the division. His career does seem to be on a bit of a decline, but he’s really only fell to the best fighters in the division. He was on a two fight win streak before he fell via KO to Tom Aspinall back in July of 2023. The small APex cage here should favor Tuivasa and force this fight to take place at close range. If Tybura can get his grappling going he’ll be live for an upset, but it seems more likely we see Tuivasa catch him before that happens. Tai Tuivasa by Round Two KO
-Nick Marro
Twitter: @NickMarroDFS
-Anthony Marro
Twitter: @AnthonyMarro_
Photo: UFC.com