Marcin Tybura is on a mission to rise higher in the rankings.
He recently moved up a notch after an impressive performance on Saturday. In the main event of UFC Vegas 88, he faced Tai Tuivasa and emerged victorious with a first-round submission. Despite Tuivasa’s powerful strikes putting Tybura in a tight spot early on, Tybura turned the tables with his superior wrestling skills. He took control on the ground and finished the fight with a rear-naked choke.
This win for Tybura sparked a range of reactions on social media. Among the comments was one from fellow heavyweight fighter Jairzinho Rozenstruik, hinting at a potential future clash.
During the post-fight press conference, Tybura discussed the possibility of facing “Bigi Boy.” He expressed his openness to any fight the UFC proposes, although he admitted he’d prefer an opponent with a higher ranking.
Tybura and Rozenstruik have been slated to fight twice before. Their first scheduled bout was for a Fight Night event in February 2022, which was then moved to UFC 287 in April of the same year. However, Tybura had to pull out due to illness, and the fight has not been rescheduled since.
Tybura believes a fight against Rozenstruik could unfold similarly to his recent victory at UFC Vegas 88. Yet, he feels a certain obligation to Rozenstruik due to the previous cancellations, suggesting that the fight might indeed happen to settle unfinished business.
Coming off a loss to Tom Aspinall in July, Tybura has now won three of his last four fights. His victory over Tuivasa also marked his first win as a UFC headliner.
Tybura acknowledged the risks he took in his stand-up game against Tuivasa, which he plans to reconsider in potential future matchups, possibly including one against Rozenstruik.
He credited his team for the fight strategy, which involved testing Tuivasa’s stand-up power but shifting to wrestling and grappling when things got too risky. A cut during the fight prompted Tybura to quickly take the fight to the ground and secure a submission, despite initially wanting to end it with punches. However, Tuivasa’s resilience forced a change in plan, leading to the successful submission finish.