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UFC Fight Night: Tuivasa vs. Tybura Takeaways and Thoughts
March 18, 2024
This past Saturday’s UFC Fight Night featured two Top 10 heavyweights who were both in need of a win. It was an interesting card that featured some nice finishes, surprising outcomes, and some questions for future fights. Let’s take a look at the results…
Main Card
#10 Marcin Tybura def. #9 Tai Tuivasa by submission via rear naked choke (4:08, R1)
Bryan Battle fought Ange Loosa to a no contest due to accidental eye poke (1:00, R2)
Ovince St. Preux def. Kennedy Nzechukwu by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Christian Rodriguez def. Isaac Dulgarian by split decision (28-27, 27-28, 28-27)
#10 Macy Chiasson def. #6 Pannie Kianzad by submission via rear naked choke (3:54, R1)
Gerald Meerschaert def. Bryan Barberena by submission via rear naked choke (4:23, R2)
Preliminary Card
Mike Davis def. Natan Levy by submission via arm triangle choke (1:43, R2)
#14 Chelsea Chandler def. #13 Josiane Nunes by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Jafel Filho def. Ode Osbourne by submission via rear naked choke (4:27, R1)
Danny Silva def. Josh Culibao by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Jaqueline Amorim def. Cory McKenna by submission via arm bar (1:38, R1)
Thiago Moises def. Mitch Ramirez by TKO via strikes (0:15, R3)
Chad Anheliger def. Charalampos Grigoriou by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
Prelims
As usual, the Prelims ended up having some fights that provided some great finishes and fun fights. Here are some things that stood out to me:
Thiago Moises’ kicks are lethal. Mitch Ramirez made this a closer fight than I expected, but Moises had enough in the third round - obliterating the left leg of Mitch Ramirez to get the TKO. This impressive win could get Moises higher up the card next time out.
Jaqueline Amorim’s BJJ looked awesome with her arm bar on McKenna. She pulled guard quickly and just worked McKenna until getting the position she wanted. McKenna’s arm angle looked nasty! I’m excited to see what Amorim can do in her next fight with someone who may be a bit better in ground skills.
Silva vs. Culibao was a fun, back and forth fight. I thought Silva got a big win here, as Culibao is really tough and can be an awkward match up due to his length. Silva, however, really impressed me by cutting down Culibao’s range and getting things done.
In the featured Prelim fight, Mike Davis had an impressive win over Natan Levy. Even though Davis came in as a heavy favorite, there were some questions over whether he can continue his ways after having over a year off. Davis showed that he has all the skills to make a splash in his division and I expect him to have a big step up in competition his next time out. He is hovering around that Top 15 consideration, for sure.
Gerald Meerschaert
While wins and losses tend to be unpredictable with Gerald Meerschaert and Bryan Barberena, one thing is for sure - they are going to have a fun fight. Meerschaert added to his impressive submission record (10 in the division) with his win over Barberena. This was a fun performance.
Macy Chiasson
In a rematch of The Ultimate Fighter 28 finale, Macy Chiasson was on a mission to prove that she can get the big win again. She did just that - finishing Pannie Kianzad in the same exact way she did in the finale. This was a nice win for #10 Chiasson who can now have the right to climb up the rankings with this win over the #6 Kianzad.
Christian Rodriguez
Rodriguez did it again! Add another zero to his resume with this win over Dulgarian. Not everyone agreed with the decision, but there’s a reason why you can’t let the fight go to the judges. Personally, I had this fight as a tie or Dulgarian possibly winning (depending on how you scored the first round). I didn’t have Rodriguez winning, but the judges did and that’s all that matters. I definitely give him credit for sticking with the fight and making it so that winning was possible. With this win, he has now taken three zeroes in a row. It’ll be interesting to see what is next for him.
Ovince St. Preux
Kennedy Nzechukwu came in as a big favorite against OSP, but St. Preux showed why you can’t count out a tough veteran fighter. This fight was designed for Kennedy to get a win over a “name” to get back on track and work his way up the rankings. OSP, though, showed that he’s not ready to give the spotlight to the younger guys just yet. He used his range beautifully and nullified Kennedy’s gameplan. I don’t know how much longer OSP has in the sport, but this will get him another important fight, for sure.
Bryan Battle
Battle was looking great against Loosa until the eye poke that eventually stopped the fight and made it a No Contest. Battle is called the “Apex Predator” for a reason. Not only has he dominated in his fights in the Apex, he truly has been showcasing high level skills in his fights lately. Even though this impressive outing only yielded him a No Contest on his record, he still came off as a winner. Everyone saw how he was dominating Loosa and his post match remarks showed how bad he wanted it. Say what you will about Loosa, listen - it’s tough to come back from an eye poke. However, Battle wanted more and the fans appreciated his desire to get the win. This No Contest won’t stop Battle from getting another featured fight his next time out or after he wins a rematch against Loosa (which…we will see if it happens).
Jose Aldo
I didn’t have this on my MMA bingo card for 2024, but it’s pretty cool. It was announced that Jose Aldo will be coming out of retirement to take on Jonathan Martinez, who has a six fight win streak on the line, at UFC 301. This will be a tough return fight for Aldo who hasn’t fought since 2022. However, it’s never wise to count Aldo out. He can still be dangerous at 37. And wow - how is he still only 37? He’s been around forever. Either way, though, this should be fun!
Marcin Tybura vs. Tai Tuivasa
In the main event of the evening, Marcin Tybura was able to fend off Tai Tuivasa’s early attack by using his ground game to get the submission finish. For both men, this fight was important. They both needed a win to get back on track and show why they deserve to still be in the Top 10 and have featured fights. With his win, Tybura keeps his name in the discussion for future big time heavyweight fights. This win will earn him another fight against a Top 10 opponent to try and prove he deserves a run up the rankings. For Tai, though, it is back to the drawing board once again. This was his fourth loss in a row, which is never fun to deal with. Even though all the fights were against tough opponents, winning is what creates opportunities and Tai is starting to run out of those.
In my picks, I went 6-7 (or 6-6-1, depending on how you count the Battle/Loosa fight). It was not a strong night of picking for your boy. Despite that, I only lost two dollars on my bets. Of course, it helps that all my picks are low risk $1 bets…
Overall, this show provided some fun MMA entertainment for a Saturday night. These Fight Night shows continue to be nice palate cleansers between PPVs.
Did you watch on Saturday? If so, what did you think? What is next for Marcin Tybura and Tai Tuivasa? Let me know at matt.tenhoeve@gmail.com I’ll be back later this week to talk about UFC on ESPN: Ribas vs. Namajunas and Bellator 302: Anderson vs. Moore. See you then!
