Tai Tuivasa vs Marcin Tybura Prediction: A must win for Tai Tuivasa

Tai Tuivasa and experienced Marcin Tybura are gearing up for a big fight. They'll be going head-to-head in the UFC Apex cage at UFC Fight Night in Las Vegas this Sunday. You can watch the action live on ESPN+. Tai Tuivasa has a record of 15 wins and 6 losses in MMA, with 8 wins and 6 losses in the UFC.

Tuivasa is in dire need of a victory. Currently, he's facing his second three-fight losing streak in his pro career. From 2020 to 2022, He had an impressive run, scoring five consecutive knockout wins, including one against fellow exciting fighter Derrick Lewis. He possesses immense power in his hands, averaging 1.24 knockdowns per 15 minutes in the cage. He's known for his durable chin, although recent events suggest it might not be as solid as before. During his peak, Tuivasa had a close match against the technically sound Ciryl Gane, where he dropped Gane in the second round before eventually succumbing to body shots in the third. However, his recent tough patch came against some of the division's top contenders—Ciryl Gane, Sergei Pavlovich, and Alexander Volkov—all resulting in stoppages.

Marcin Tybura boasts of a professional record of 24 wins and 8 losses. He has often been overlooked in the heavyweight division. Before his recent fight, he had won seven out of eight matches against opponents who were not top-tier heavyweights. Tom Aspinall, who defeated him in just 73 seconds, unfortunately quickly stopped his momentum. While losing to the eventual interim heavyweight champion is understandable, Tybura doesn't find much solace in that fact.

This matchup was initially slated for UFC 298 but got shifted to the main event at the UFC Apex Center in Las Vegas. For Tuivasa, going up against Tybura feels like a step down in competition, both in literal and figurative terms. Despite Tuivasa facing a rough patch, he's squared off against tougher opponents than Tybura. The real question here revolves around Tuivasa's resilience, especially after taking two early knocks from Sergei Pavlovich and later from Alexander Volkov. The fact that Pavlovich couldn't finish him right away might signal some resilience on Tuivasa's part. On the flip side, Tybura, though more versatile, has suffered five knockouts in his eight losses and is now facing a genuine knockout specialist. While Tuivasa's takedown defense hasn't been thoroughly tested recently, it's concerning that even Derrick Lewis, not known for wrestling, managed to bring him down twice in their bout. This fight appears evenly matched, with Tuivasa slightly favored. Some argue that Tybura doesn't receive enough recognition in the division, especially given his performance leading up to the Aspinall fight. However, it's doubtful he possesses enough offensive or defensive prowess to prevent Tuivasa from landing a decisive blow.