Athletes
Marcin Tybura: Time To Spoil The Party
Heavyweight Marcin Tybura Challenges England’s Own Tom Aspinall In The Main Event At UFC Fight Night: Aspinall vs Tybura In London. Prelims Begin At Noon ET On ESPN+.
The UFC returns to the O2 Arena in London, England, this Saturday, where Tom Aspinall facing a streaking Marcin Tybura in the main event at UFC Fight Night: Aspinall vs Tybura.
A winner of seven of his last eight bouts, Tybura has crept his way into the heavyweight Top 10 and has earned his second main event slot since singing with the UFC in 2016. Outside of a lone decision loss to No. 7 ranked Alexander Volkov, Tybura’s scored knockout victories over Greg Hardy and Walt Harris, and cemented his status amongst the division’s best with victories over Top 15 opponents Alexandr Romanov and Blagoy Ivanov.
Order UFC 291: Poirier vs Gaethje 2
“It feels about right,” Tybura said of competing in a main event. “It’s the small success I’ve been fighting for and working for. Of course, the biggest thing is fighting for the gold, but being a headliner is a big thing, especially for a huge event like UFC London. I saw the crowd here [before] and they get crazy. I’m really excited to be the headliner for this one.”
The London crowd is known for its outgoing behavior, but for all the right reasons. Very few nations rally behind its athletes as profoundly as England does, so Tybura can expect a very cold welcome to the O2 Arena during his walkout on Saturday night.
Being in enemy territory doesn’t bother Tybura in the slightest. Training out of his native Poland, Tybura hasn’t competed in his home country since 2012 during his time in other mixed martial arts promotions, so bout location is never an issue. If anything, Tybura spent time working in London as a mover before transitioning to MMA full-time, so he’s excited to be back and revisit a place he once called home.
“That doesn’t bother me,” Tybura said about the hometown crowd support for Aspinall. “I’ve been in this position before. Honestly, I’ve never fought in front of my own crowd, so it’s usually equal or hostile territory. It’s fine for me, I know the fans are getting crazy here about supporting their heroes. I really admire it because I like it when the crowd is happy about fighting. It’s hard for me that I will get them a little upset. My fans will also be in the crowd, so I have to try to make them happy.
“I used to live here in London, and I could not imagine that one day my face would be on billboards and that I would be headlining such a great event so, for me right now, it’s another step in what I’m trying to achieve, but I’m not going to stay here. I want more.”
In 2022, Tybura served as the backup for Aspinall’s main event against Volkov in London, so his fight preparation for this weekend’s main event felt familiar. Looking at Aspinall’s impressive resume, it’s difficult to point out any grey areas where he might be lacking in talent. Tybura and his coaching staff agree, so his camp was tailored in improving any areas Tybura felt needed improvement to ensure he’s just as well-rounded as his main event counterpart by the time the Octagon door closes.
“I was trying to prepare myself and develop my skills and what I do the best because it’s really hard to find where he lacks in his game,” Tybura said of Aspinall. “In his performances in the UFC he’s been really dominant. He’s well rounded. He’s prepared for every aspect of [fighting]. I was trying to develop my skills and I built up better cardio for this one and I feel in the best shape of my life.”
RELATED: Tom Aspinall: ‘I Am The Next Heavyweight Champion’
Heading into Aspinall’s last fight against Curtis Blaydes, where the Brit suffered a knee injury only 15 seconds into the first round, he amassed eight consecutive victories with six knockouts and two submissions. So, while there isn’t an easy path to victory for anyone, Tybura finds the most comfortability when he meets his challenger in the middle of the Octagon and throws caution to the wind. In those moments, Tybura believes he has the composure and technique to stand and trade with anyone the heavyweight division has to offer.
“I feel very comfortable in a brawl. I don’t like to wait much. I feel like if he goes forward, I will be there, and we will exchange a lot. Tom moves really well on his feet. He’s balanced, his striking is great, but I’m also there. I’ve focused on movement a lot and I don’t think it’ll be a boring fight.”
In a stacked heavyweight division, which saw Jon Jones take the throne after defeating Ciryl Gane at UFC 285 in March, a win against any top contender accelerates your chance of being next in line to challenge for undisputed gold. With so much noise surrounding the division, a definitive victory over Aspinall on Saturday will push Tybura one step closer to his ultimate goal of fighting for a UFC world title.
“The heavyweight division right now is bringing the attention because it’s really hard for fighters to get to the title shot because it’s busy there,” Tybura said. “Sometimes it’s even hard to find one challenger, but in the heavyweight division there’s many and it’s a queue. It’s more competitive for heavyweights, which makes it more exciting.”
UFC Fight Night: Aspinall vs Tybura took place live from the O2 Arena in London, England on July 22, 2023. See the Final Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
