UFC Fight Night: Tybura vs. Spivac
The UFC returns to its headquarters at the UFC Apex with an excellent Fight Night card. Filled with rising stars, prospects, and established veterans, there’s excellent matchups from top to bottom. In the co-main event, two well-rounded scrappers go toe-to-toe when Damon Jackson takes on Chepe Mariscal. In the main event, we’ll see a rematch of two powerful Heavyweights, Marcin Tybura and Serghei Spivac. With multiple late notice replacements and weight misses, this card has already proven unpredictable. Lets take a look at the fights on the main card.
Toshiomi Kazama vs. Charalampos Grigoriou
Toshiomi Kazama exchanges blows with Rinya Nakamura. Credit: ESPN.
Bantamweight Bout
Toshiomi Kazama: 10-4-0, 3 KO/TKO, 5 Sub.
Charalampos Grigoriou: 8-4-0, 6 KO/TKO, 0 Sub.
Kazama has won two of his last five fights and is looking for his first UFC victory. He’s a creative grappler with a dangerous submission game. He won’t waste much time at range, regularly closing the distance with his striking to enter the clinch. He has excellent clinch takedowns and will constantly work to get the fight to the mat, even willing to pull guard. Kazama is efficient in top position and is always looking to advance and find a submission. Training at Wajutsu Keishukai, he never accepts position on top or his back and is very tough to hold down, regularly finding sweeps or throwing up leg locks. He doesn’t force anything or put himself in dangerous positions, always choosing position over submission. Kazama has found the majority of his finishes in the first round and is at his most dangerous early on.
Charalampos Grigoriou fires a front kick at Chad Anheliger. Credit: MMA Junkie.
Grigoriou has won four of his last five bouts and is looking for his first UFC victory. A dominant grappler with heavy hands, he’s constantly pursuing a finish. He comes out guns blazing, continually pressuring forward and blitzing into the pocket to unload combinations. Grigoriou has one-shot knockout power in his hands and can produce flash finishes. He has excellent takedowns and heavy top pressure, typically looking to grind on and wear out his opponents. Training at Serra-Longo Fight Team, he has excellent scrambles and reversals and remains patient in top position until he can posture up and land ground and pound. Grigoriou pushes a heavy pace from the opening bell and leaves everything in the cage, with five of his last six fights not seeing the scorecards.
#12 Yana Santos vs. #14 Chelsea Chandler
Yana Santos lands a body kick on Karol Rosa. Credit: Zuffa LLC.
Women’s Bantamweight Bout
Yana Santos: 14-8-0, 7 KO/TKO, 1 Sub.
Chelsea Chandler: 6-2-0, 2 KO/TKO, 1 Sub.
Santos has won two of her last five outings and has UFC victories over #2 ranked Bantamweight Ketlen Vieira (14-3-0), Julija Stoliarenko (11-9-2), and Lina Lansberg (10-8-0). She’s a well-rounded fighter with a black belt in Taekwondo and solid wrestling. She’s always moving, using her footwork and feints to find openings to land offense. Santos regularly mixes kicks into her combinations and varies her shots well, attacking the head, body, and legs equally. Training at American Top Team, she’s averaging over one takedown landed per fifteen minutes and constantly looks to clinch up and land strikes. She’s very strong in the clinch, regularly grinding her opponents out against the cage while landing a barrage of knees and elbows. Santos is highly experienced and has great cardio, pushing a consistent pace throughout and never getting sloppy.
Chelsea Chandler rains down ground and pound on Julija Stoliarenko. Credit: MMA Fighting.
Chandler has won four of her last five fights and has UFC victories over Josiane Nunes (10-2-0) and Julija Stoliarenko (11-9-2). A powerful wrestler, she’s constantly looking to close distance and get the fight to the mat. She fights behind her jab, throws everything in combination, and is always willing to eat a shot to land one. Chandler tends to headhunt on her feet, rarely throwing kicks and unloading looping hooks inside the pocket. She’s averaging over one takedown landed per fifteen minutes and will constantly look to land ground and pound from top position. Training at Cesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, she transitions quickly on top, moving efficiently from position to position without putting herself in danger. Chandler is very powerful, capable of slam takedowns, and tough to get out from under on the ground.
Chris Gutierrez vs. Quang Le
Chris Gutierrez cracks Felipe Colares with a right hand. Credit: MMA Fighting.
Bantamweight Bout
Chris Gutierrez: 20-6-2, 9 KO/TKO, 1 Sub.
Quang Le: 8-0-0, 2 KO/TKO, 3 Sub.
Gutierrez has won three of his last five bouts and has UFC victories over Frankie Edgar (23-11-1), Alatengheili (17-9-2), and Batgerel Danaa (12-5-0). He’s a shifty, technical striker with excellent distance management. He has powerful kicks and excellent hand speed, regularly throwing plenty of leg kicks before moving in to let his hands go. Gutierrez has landed, on average, 65 significant strikes in his last five fights, putting out solid volume while remaining technical and fighting behind his jab. He tends to float around the outside, never favoring one particular weapon and constantly switching stances. Training at FactoryX Muay Thai, he won’t often initiate grappling exchanges but has shown some solid takedown defense, having defended 69% of takedowns attempted on him in the UFC. Gutierrez has multiple finishes via leg kick and will constantly look to limit his opponent’s mobility.
Quang Le is declared the victor over Henry Huff. Credit: LFA.
Le is undefeated and making his UFC debut. He’s a well-rounded scrapper with technical striking and a dangerous submission game. He’ll constantly throw kicks with his lead leg, especially to the head, mixing them into punch combinations without telegraphing them. Le is accurate on the feet, fighting behind his jab and throwing his shots tight and straight, never loading up or getting wild. His striking sets up his grappling, often engaging on the feet for extended periods before suddenly shooting takedowns. Training at The Academy MN, he transitions very quickly on the mat, typically looking to take his opponent’s back, and often chains together submission attempts. Le is unpredictable, able to produce flash-knockouts or grapple for a complete three rounds, and is comfortable anywhere the fight goes.
Danny Barlow vs. Nikolay Veretennikov
Danny Barlow blasts Josh Quinlan with a left hand. Credit: MMA Fighting.
Welterweight Bout
Danny Barlow: 8-0-0, 5 KO/TKO, 1 Sub.
Nikolay Veretennikov: 12-4-0, 9 KO/TKO, 1 Sub.
Barlow is undefeated and has a UFC victory over Josh Quinlan (6-3-0). A highly accurate striker with impressive speed and power, he’s always pursuing a knockout. He’s a lengthy fighter and uses it well, typically holding the center and picking his opponents apart with long straights and kicks. He constantly looks to set up flying knees, attempting them regularly throughout his fights. Barlow throws every shot with power and remains patient, continually looking for openings to do damage. Training at Law School MMA, he has solid cardio, carrying his power and speed across all three rounds and always remaining technical. He fights behind his jab, constantly popping it out before following up with brutal combinations. Barlow is unlikely to take the fight to the mat but has shown solid takedown defense and has an excellent sprawl.
Nikolay Veretennikov celebrates after knocking out Anthony Ivy. Credit: Fury FC.
Veretennikov has won four of his last five outings and is making his UFC debut. He’s a bruising striker who’s constantly looking to land bombs. He’s always coming forward, tending to headhunt, and comes out guns blazing from the opening bell. Veretennikov has excellent clinch striking and can land severe damage without much space, especially with his elbows and knees. Training at Kings MMA, he has solid clinch takedowns and throws and will constantly look to posture up and land ground and pound when in top position. He throws every shot with knockout intentions, always willing to hang in the pocket to unload looping hooks. Veretennikov pushes a heavy pace and carries his power throughout the fight, able to produce knockouts seemingly out of nowhere.
Damon Jackson vs. Chepe Mariscal
Damon Jackson looks to land ground and pound on Charles Rosa. Credit: Yahoo Sports.
Featherweight Bout
Damon Jackson: 23-6-1, 4 KO/TKO, 15 Sub.
Chepe Mariscal: 16-6-0, 7 KO/TKO, 3 Sub.
Jackson has won three of his last five fights and has UFC victories over Pat Sabatini (18-5-0), Charles Rosa (16-8-0), and Alexander Hernandez (14-8-0). He’s a dangerous grappler with excellent chokes and solid hands. He pushes a heavy pace from the opening bell, always moving and throwing every shot straight and tight. Jackson regularly dips his head and enters the pocket, throwing heavy straights. He’s averaging over two takedowns landed per fight and is a powerful wrestler capable of impressive slams. Training at Fortis MMA, he advances position quickly on the ground and has excellent control. Jackson has nine wins via rear naked choke and is constantly hunting for his opponent’s neck.
Chepe Mariscal holds top position on Trevor Peek. Credit: MMA Junkie.
Mariscal is on a six-fight win streak and has UFC victories over Jack Jenkins (12-3-0), Trevor Peek (9-2-0), and Morgan Charrière (19-10-1). He’s a well-rounded brawler constantly looking to close the distance and land damage. He throws every shot with power, regularly blitzing forward and unloading hooks and overhands. Mariscal has excellent control and striking in the clinch, regularly blasting his opponent with knees and uppercuts. He has great throws and takedowns but seems more focused on landing damage than controlling his opponent on the mat. Training at Elevation Fight Team, he heats up as the fight continues, increasing his pace and intensity. Despite having only three UFC fights, he is well-experienced and fought a bevy of UFC-level competition before joining the promotion.
#8 Marcin Tybura vs. #9 Serghei Spivac
Marcin Tybura chokes out Tai Tuivasa. Credit: MMA Fighting.
Heavyweight Bout
Marcin Tybura: 25-8-0, 9 KO/TKO, 7 Sub.
Serghei Spivac: 16-4-0, 7 KO/TKO, 7 Sub.
Tybura has won three of his last five fights and has UFC victories over #10 ranked Heavyweight Tai Tuivasa (15-7-0), #13 ranked Heavyweight Alexandr Romanov (17-3-0), and his current opponent, Serghei Spivac. He is a dominant wrestler willing to engage on the feet, possessing classic heavyweight KO power and great takedowns. He’ll throw a solid variety of kicks at range before moving in to throw powerful hooks in the pocket. Tybura is at his best when he’s coming forward and pressuring his opponent, but his most straightforward path to victory is through his grappling. He has an explosive takedown game, often slamming his opponent down and advancing quickly in top position. Training at Ankos MMA, he’ll constantly look to posture up and do damage, using heavy top control to land big shots. Tybura has the cardio to go 15 minutes, whether grappling or striking, and seems comfortable wherever the fight goes.
Serghei Spivac elevates Greg Hardy for a slam takedown. Credit: Zuffa LLC.
Spivac has won three of his last five fights and has UFC victories over #11 ranked Heavyweight Derrick Lewis (28-12-0), Aleksei Oleinik (61-17-1), and Carlos Felipe (12-4-0). He’s a powerful wrestler with brutal ground and pound and excellent top control. He’ll usually shoot in early, more often than not earning the takedown, having landed at least three takedowns in all his UFC wins but one. Spivac rarely leaves fights up to the judges, with ten first-round finishes in his career and eight of his eleven bouts in the promotion not going the distance. Training with the Polar Bear Team, he has a diverse submission game but will look to land ground and pound before chasing a submission. He’s always looking to land damage on the ground but won’t force anything, being more than willing to hold half guard and work from there. While Spivac usually won’t spend much time on the feet, he has heavy hands and will throw right overhands until closing the distance and pursuing takedowns.
Best Bets
Yana Santos Moneyline: A classic matchup of veteran vs. newcomer, this is an intriguing bout. Both have very different styles, with Santos utilizing technical kickboxing while Chandler is more of a brawling wrestler. Despite the differences in styles, Santos is much more experienced and skilled than Chandler in virtually every facet. Although young and constantly improving, Chandler has shown a large gap between her striking and grappling skills and has struggled when unable to get the fight to the mat. Santos is a very high-level striker with excellent takedown defense and great clinch grappling, which present serious issues for Chandler’s style. If Santos keeps the fight standing, I expect her to outpace Chandler and use her superior striking to find a victory.
Barlow vs. Veretennikov to Not Go the Distance: A matchup between two very dangerous strikers, this could be Fight of the Night. Although both strikers, they fight very differently, with Barlow tending to fight at range and use his length to damage his opponents while Veretennikov looks to close the distance and land bombs constantly. Both have the power to produce flash knockouts and will constantly look to do so. I believe both are equally dangerous, so I’m not entirely willing to pick a winner, but I’d be shocked to see this fight go to the scorecards.
Serghei Spivac Moneyline: A rematch of two top-ten Heavyweights, this is tough to predict. Tybura dominated their first meeting, controlling Spivac for over eight minutes and nearly tripling his total strikes landed. In the four years since this fight, it seems Spivac has undergone more change than Tybura. While Tybura still favors a slower, wrestling-heavy, and controlled-based game plan, Spivac has increased his pace and tenacity. Spivac hasn’t gone to a decision in three years now and constantly pursues a finish. While I wouldn’t claim Tybura has lost any skill, he’s facing a man nine years his junior with much more tread left on the tires. Although there isn’t a difference in height or reach, Spivac has a solid 11-pound weight advantage, a significant difference when the fight is likely to play out on the mat. I expect Spivac to secure an early takedown, taking control of the fight from the start, dictate the pace, and ultimately secure the victory.
