Marcin Tybura defeated Tai Tuivasa in the UFC Vegas 88 main event with a rear-naked choke in the first round, marking Tybura’s third win in four fights and Tuivasa’s fourth consecutive loss.
Marcin Tybura sure made a comeback, and what a comeback it was! After a recent loss, he was back in the ring at UFC Vegas 88, facing Tai Tuivasa. And boy, did he bounce back!
Tybura, or “Tybur” as he’s known, used his grappling skills to counter Tuivasa’s powerful strikes. The Aussie put up a fight, showing some impressive resilience. But, alas, he couldn’t stop Tybura from working his way towards a fight-ending rear-naked choke near the end of Round 1.
This was Tybura’s third win in four fights. On the flip side, Tuivasa has now suffered four straight losses. Ouch, that’s gotta hurt.
Tybura’s strategy wasn’t surprising. He’s known for his wrestling and submission skills. And Tuivasa? Well, he’s won all but one of his 14 pro wins by knockout. Fellow Aussie, Megan Anderson, took to Twitter to comment on Tuivasa’s grappling defense (or lack thereof) and praised Tybura for his tactics. She tweeted, “Tybura with the smart gameplan – take it to the ground and it was just a matter of time.”
And she wasn’t the only one commenting. Check out more of the pros’ social media reactions to UFC Vegas 88 below.
“Marcin Tybura chokes out a slumping Tai Tuivasa,” read one tweet. Another tweet from Megan Anderson read, “Tai not actively looking to peel the hands and just trying to grit out the rnc with that amount of time left, was an odd choice. Tybura with the smart gameplan – take it to the ground, and it was just a matter of time #UFCVegas88.”
Michael Chandler (@MikeChandlerMMA) admitted, “Annnd I was wrong.” Derek Brunson (@DerekBrunson) humorously tweeted, “Tybura was getting a haircut and changed his mind in the middle of the haircut.”
The event also saw Bryan Battle and Ange Loosa get heated after an eye poke led to a no-contest. Aljamain Sterling (@funkmasterMMA) tweeted, “Well alright. That escalated quickly. Run it back!” He later added, “Yea, if you foul me, then say that, I think everyone will be pissed and want to bark back. But the eye poke looked legit. Sucks because Battle was for sure dominating.”
Cody Durden (@Cody_Durden) chimed in, “Aljo, the foul that happened to you was way more damaging, this guy wanted a way out. Do you agree!?” Sodiq Yusuff (@Super_Sodiq) commented, “The fans won’t let him live that one down.”
Terrance McKinney (@twrecks155) showed sympathy, tweeting, “Fuck man sorry for both guys that blows.” He later added, “Talk your shxt Battle.”
Christian Rodriguez managed to eke out a win over Isaac Dulgarian. Terrance McKinney (@twrecks155) commented, “Man that was a dog fight.” Aljamain Sterling (@funkmasterMMA) questioned the scoring, “Can someone explain to me the scorecard for Rodriguez vs Dulgarian?” Julian Marquez (@JMarquezMMA) echoed his confusion.
Jillian DeCoursey (@lionheartjill) shared her scorecard, “28-28 for me. I gave Rodriguez the 10-8 in the third. A variety of scores are acceptable to me #UFCVegas88.”
So, there you have it. A night of thrilling fights, unexpected outcomes, and a whole lot of Twitter chatter. Can’t wait for the next one!