The UFC heavyweight division is lastly in movement after Jon Jones vacated the title to retire from the game, and veteran Marcin Tybura has a tough time seeing anybody beating now-undisputed champion Tom Aspinall in the intervening time.
Aspinall is scheduled to face Ciryl Gane in the primary occasion of UFC 321 on Oct. 25. On the identical card in Abu Dhabi, Alexander Volkov and Jailton Almeida battle in what may find yourself being a title eliminator.
Tybura, who faces Ante Delija at UFC Paris on Sept. 6, mentioned the present title image in a latest interview with MMA Preventing.
“I don’t see anybody beating Tom Aspinall,” Tybura mentioned. “I believe Tom will keep on the throne for some time. Nevertheless it’s not for certain as a result of up to now I used to be so certain about some champions, that they [would] keep there. And two, three fights they had been gone due to another points, like they misplaced ambitions or one thing like this.
“There are many components that get you there. Proper now, I don’t see anybody beating Tom, however you by no means know what’s occurring sooner or later.”
Volkov lasted lower than 4 minutes when he fought Aspinall again in 2022, and Tybura sees Brazil’s “Malhadinho” as “one of many guys who’s operating up very quick” to develop into a robust contender to dethrone the present king.
Within the meantime, Tybura is “hoping and dreaming” of coming into title competition within the close to future. The Polish heavyweight has crushed rising prospects Jhonata Diniz and Mick Parkin in his most up-to-date octagon appearances, enhancing to 10-3 since 2020 with sole defeats towards Aspinall, Volkov, and Serghei Spivac.
Tybura and Delija met earlier than in 2015, when Delija landed a robust leg kick that ended up breaking his leg in ugly trend. Tybura signed with the UFC months later, and Delija would solely battle once more in 2018. Delija makes his UFC debut after going 8-3 beneath the PFL banner, profitable the belt in 2022 with a semifinal knockout over Renan Ferreira.
‘There’s all the time some motions in each division, and heavyweight has the identical,’ Tybura mentioned. “There’s a new UFC heavyweight coming. And the place do I see myself? I see myself in the precise spot. That’s what I earned thus far. I believe I’m [ranked] eight or seven or 9, someplace round right here proper now.
“And I nonetheless really feel like I’m getting an opportunity, so my job is to go to the gymnasium, work, prepare, dream about my objectives sooner or later. That’s what I can do. I’m not planning the trail. However nonetheless, the dream is there. And I hope at some point, possibly, I shall be able to getting there proper to the highest.”
A victory at UFC Paris may change his future for the higher in that facet, opening the door for a top-ranked match-up.
“I believe like profitable in a superb type would get me that, for certain,” Tybura mentioned. “It’s not like all the time simply profitable itself makes you to get what you need within the UFC. For certain, the type makes a distinction for a call later, so I’m simply making an attempt to be one hundred pc centered on the battle and play properly for myself, take pleasure in it as a lot as potential. No matter occurs sooner or later, occurs sooner or later. I’m not going that a lot forward as a result of up to now I used to do it, and it didn’t work properly for me [laughs]. These days, I simply attempt to be extra centered on the current, what’s proper forward of my eyes.”
Delija’s UFC debut comes after a 42-second knockout over Yorgan De Castro in Slovenia, bouncing again from a first-round defeat in PFL to Valentin Moldavsky, again in April 2024. The Croatian heavyweight was completed in 5 of his six skilled losses, and Tybura feels ready for something.
“I often go together with my mindset that no matter occurs in a battle, I ought to be capable of react on it,” Tybura mentioned. “Regardless that I fought him, generally you won’t be capable of see in his earlier fights what he’s able to in grappling or hanging or no matter. I often don’t see like a transparent path, ‘Oh, I take him down or I gonna outstrike him or one thing like this.’ I’m simply making an attempt to arrange every part and make it an MMA battle. No matter occurs, I ought to be capable of modify.”
Since shedding to Tybura in 2015, Delija was victorious in 11 of his subsequent 14 bouts to lastly attain the UFC.
“It’s a rematch for certain, however we fought like 10 years in the past,” Tybura informed MMA Preventing. “It was an harm from Ante so I couldn’t take something from that battle. He’s an excellent opponent. Outdoors of the UFC, I believe he was one of many strongest heavyweights proper now. … We’re utterly totally different type of individuals since then. Earlier than the harm occurred the battle was actually loopy, Ante was going very robust on this one, and he broke his leg. I really take nothing from the earlier battle coming to this. I see it as a very new problem.”
Tybura mentioned he’s “impressed together with his profession” in PFL, a run that features victories over the likes of Renan Ferreira, Denis Goltsov, and twice towards Matheus Scheffel, however wasn’t paying an excessive amount of consideration whereas it unfolded.
“Outdoors of the UFC, he’s one of many strongest heavyweights, I believe, so I used to be type of shocked that it took so lengthy for him to signal [with the UFC],” Tybura mentioned, “however in all probability he had different presents and he was doing properly in different promotions. I wouldn’t say I comply with his profession, however I do know of his fights due to earlier opponent. Many fights he did, I simply was in a position to generally see, generally discover that he wins or one thing like this, so I used to be really a bit of bit in contact together with his profession.
“I watched a few of his fights — I’m not a lot of an analyst, I simply go away it to my coaches, that’s for certain, however I watched a few the fights. Perhaps three of his final fights, as a result of I do know fighters are altering their type and stuff like this. I’m not excellent at analyzing every part, however I’ve excellent individuals with me who do it for me, and that works often greatest for me.”
Regardless of Delija’s profitable run previous to becoming a member of the UFC, Tybura admits he would have fairly confronted somebody ranked larger within the promotion as we speak — particularly after battling unranked prospects in back-to-back fights.
“If somebody gave me an possibility, I all the time decide somebody who makes me go larger within the rankings,” Tybura mentioned. “However on the similar time, I do know UFC was giving me the alternatives earlier than, and I used to be in a position to rise. In my profession, generally I wasn’t in a position to benefit from every part they provide me alternatives, so I don’t really feel disenchanted for something. I simply really feel like I’m getting one other alternative from the UFC. It might be as a result of I’ve a two-win streak. Perhaps all people thinks I ought to get somebody larger ranked, however I believe I can earn it sooner or later and nonetheless be completely satisfied concerning the course of and every part.”
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