UFC Vegas 88 Preview
The UFC is returning to the Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday March 16th for UFC Vegas 88. The main event will be in the heavyweight division between fan-favorite #9 Tai Tuivasa vs. battle-tested veteran #10 Marcin Tybura.
Tuivasa is trying to rebound from three straight losses having most recently lost by second round submission to Alexander Volkov in September at UFC 293. Prior to the losing streak he won five straight and was on the verge of a title shot. His title shot hopes were halted when he lost a main event to Ciryl Gane by third round KO in one of the best fights of 2022.
While no fight is ever easy, the 30-year-old will not have a new set of challenges against Tybura. They were originally scheduled to fight at UFC 298, but the fight was moved because Tuivasa had to have surgery due to a torn meniscus. Does this put added pressure on him as he tries to end his losing streak?
“There’s always pressure, but it’s no pressure I haven’t seen before. I’ve been here before in my life and infighting. My preparation has been good, so I’m relying on that. Marcin has been around for a long time – I’ve watched him for many years. He’s very experienced. I’m not going to be able to bring anything that he hasn’t seen before. I know his plan is to try to drag me through the rounds and then try to wear me down, I suppose. But this is the heavyweight division and I want to come down and come hard and try to get this job done,” said Tuivasa.
Has Tuivasa had enough time to recover from surgery? “Yeah, it feels good, I’ve got a good team around me and we’ve been doing everything we can to get it sweet, so I’m confident and confident in my team. The knee’s all good it just is what it is, I’m getting old and fat but get better looking every day. Like I said I feel good, I’m confident in my team I’ve got a good team around me, a lot of old school mixed with new school, and just everyone from the area so it’s good to be home training at home around familiar faces and I get to do my daddy duties as well.”
This is not new ground for Tuivasa as he has been on a three-fight losing streak before. After the first losing streak he then reeled off five straight victories with the biggest win coming against Derrick Lewis. The Australian had a promising start in the UFC and while he is still 8-6, he needs to make a statement on Saturday. Tuivasa is known as a stand-and-bang fighter and in his 20-fight career, has only been to a decision twice. It is unlikely he goes 25 minutes with Tybura, but his best chance at scoring a signature knockout will come earlier in the fight.
Tybura is 7-2 in his last nine fights but is trying to rebound from a first round TKO loss to Tom Aspinall in July. How does he feel about the fight being moved? “When the fight was moving it was a little bit hard because you already the camp and you’re just a little bit tired and you’re waiting for the final days, and it’s rescheduled,” Tybura said. “So that’s a little bit damaged to the camp schedule. But it was cool. It’s always nice to see your face on the fight posters. I agreed because I know there was some problems with Tai there.”
The 38-year-old respects the power of Tuivasa. “I think Tai is an exciting fighter,” Tybura said. “Fans love him. For sure the first thing that comes to mind is his heavy hands. He’s strong. He tries to finish. He’s dangerous every second of the fight. That’s pretty much it. That’s how I would describe him.”
Does Tybura think cardio will come into play, which is not Tuivasa’s strongest asset? “I don’t mind the cardio-wise going 25 minutes. I’ve been doing this before and I’m pretty sure about my cardio. But my approach is always go for the finish. Try to finish the fight. I’m hoping to get that done.”
Tybura has proven that he can go 25 minutes but does he have the ability to finish the fight? If he chooses to test the power of Tuivasa for longer than the first two minutes of the fight, this battle has the potential to be fight of the year.
The rest of the main card:
Welterweight - Bryan Battle vs. Ange Loosa
Light Heavyweight - Ovince Saint Preux vs. Kennedy Nzechukwu
Women's Bantamweight - #6 Pannie Kianzad vs. #10 Macy Chiasson
Middleweight - Gerald Meerschaert vs. Bryan Barberena
Featherweight - Christian Rodriguez vs. Isaac Dulgarian
ESPN + Prelims:
Lightweight - Thiago Moisés vs. Mitch Ramirez
Lightweight - Natan Levy vs. Mike Davis
Women's Bantamweight - #13 Josiane Nunes vs. #14 Chelsea Chandler
Flyweight - Jafel Filho vs. Ode' Osbourne
Featherweight - Joshua Culibao vs. Danny Silva
Women's Strawweight - Cory McKenna vs. Jaqueline Amorin
Bantamweight - Charalampos Grigoriou vs. Chad Anheliger
