Tybura just keeps chugging along. He has become the picture of
consistency in recent years, but the Pole has had some ups and
downs getting there. Coming to the UFC as a decorated fighter in
2016, Tybura found his wrestling-heavy approach stifled by the much
larger Tim Johnson,
forcing him to pivot to a more striking-based style for his next
few fights, which included an impressive knockout of Viktor
Pesta. Tybura then pivoted back around to a more well-rounded
approach, but a rough stretch of four losses in five
fights—including knockouts suffered against Shamil
Abdurakhimov and Augusto
Sakai that look unlikely in retrospect—suggested he had hit his
ceiling. However, since losing to Sakai in 2019, Tybura has taken
care of business with six wins in seven fights, taking advantage of
slower or more breakable opponents in impressive fashion, including
outlasting Alexander
Romanov in impressive fashion for a narrow decision victory in
August. Tybura’s lone loss during this stretch, a 2021 outing
against Alexander
Volkov, was one-sided enough that there is still a sense he
does not have much upside as an actual contender. Nevertheless, he
will look to keep impressing against Ivanov. Long one of the best
heavyweights outside of the UFC before coming to the promotion in
2018, Bulgaria’s “Baga” is another unremarkably consistent fighter.
Seemingly indestructible—beyond his showings inside the cage,
Ivanov survived being stabbed in the heart in 2012—he is a lesson
in how much durability matters in the heavyweight division. He can
be a slow grinder that does not set much of a pace, but he has
found plenty of success just by refusing to go away and hitting his
opponents hard. A reliable knockout threat prior to his Octagon
debut, Ivanov has found it much harder to find a finish inside the
UFC. Combined with his slower pace as he has gotten older, he is
now dealing with thinner margins for victory than ever, even though
he did manage to eke out a win over Marcos
Rogerio de Lima in May. There is a chance he can plug Tybura
hard enough and frequent enough to win rounds or even score an
outright finish. Still, the likelier scenario seems to be Tybura
getting more done in what should be an ugly fight either way. The
pick is Tybura via decision.
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