UFC Fight Night gets underway tonight at the Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. This card mostly features a bunch of contender fights between Asia’s biggest MMA prospects.
However, on the main card, there is an exciting heavyweight bout set to take place between contenders Marcin Tybura and Blagoy Ivanov. UFC odds have Tybura priced as a slight –135 favorite, while Ivanov comes back at +115.
Will Tybura take care of business as a short favorite, or can Ivanov work his way up the rankings ladder with an upset victory? Find out in our free Tybura vs Blagoy UFC Fight Night picks and predictions.
Marcin Tybura vs Blagoy Ivanov fight odds
Marcin Tybura vs Blagoy Ivanov method of victory odds
| Method of Victory | Marcin Tybura | Blagoy Ivanov |
|---|---|---|
| To win by KO/TKO | +420 | +600 |
| To win by Points | +180 | +200 |
| To win by Submission | +1,100 | +1,300 |
| Draw | +5,000 | +5,000 |
Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook on February 2, 2022.
Marcin Tybura vs Blagoy Ivanov picks
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.
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Marcin Tybura vs Blagoy Ivanov betting preview
Marcin Tybura enters this scrap as a winner of six of his last seven bouts. However, his most recent victory over Alexandr Romanov is highly contested.
While Tybura won via majority decision, 17 of the 18 media scores had the fight as a draw. A true mixed martial artist, the Polish heavyweight can scrap standing up, as well as show off his black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu on the mat.
Across the octagon, Blagoy Ivanov looks to build upon his most recent unanimous decision victory over Marcos Rogerio de Lima. Prior to that tilt, Ivanov had lost three of his last five fights.
However, those shortcomings included two split-decision defeats to Augusto Sakai and Derrick Lewis, the latter of which is the current No. 7 heavyweight contender and headlining Saturday’s card. Like Tybura, Ivanov can beat you in a variety of ways as he can both strike and wrestle.
In fact, Ivanov is a former gold medalist in Sambo.
Marcin Tybura vs Blagoy Ivanov tale of the tape
| Marcin Tybura | Blagoy Ivanov | |
|---|---|---|
| 37 | Age | 36 |
| 6-foot-3 | Height | 5-foot-11 |
| 249 lbs | Weight | 256 lbs |
| 78 inches | Reach | 73 inches |
| 23-7 (9 KO) | Record | 19-4-1 (6 KO) |
Marcin Tybura vs Blagoy Ivanov UFC prediction and best bet
Fight prediction: Ivanov by decision
Tybura opened up as such a big favorite due to the fact that he has won six of his last seven scraps. However, the most recent bout against Romanov should have been a draw, and none of his wins prior to that are very impressive outside of the Spivac fight.
He ran into trouble against Romanov when the bout went to the mat, as his opponent accumulated over five minutes of control time. Leading up to the success on the mat was Romanov’s incredible takedowns, which is likely how Ivanov will get the best of Tybura.
Surrendering four inches in height and five inches in reach, Ivanov will surely look to his Sambo background to wrestle his way to a decision victory against the bigger Tybura. This was the exact gameplan Ivanov had in the biggest win of his career over Tai Tuivasa, although Tuivasa’s takedown defense allowed him to survive until the final bell.
While Ivanov’s wrestling gameplan was somewhat thwarted by Tuivasa, his ability to adapt and land powerful strikes while searching for the neck at all times prevented Tuivasa from doing much. With how easily and violently Romanov brought Tybura to the mat, Ivanov should have no issue getting the wrestling going in this matchup.
Prediction: Ivanov by decision (+180 at FanDuel)
Fight best bet: Ivanov ML
While I think it is most likely that Ivanov wins by decision, there is enough value to just take him at plus money on the moneyline. In the aforementioned win against Tuivasa, there were multiple times where Ivanov got his neck before Tuivasa narrowly escaped.
If Tybura finds himself in that same predicament, he may not be as fortunate and this fight may not make it to the scorecards. If you want a bigger payout (albeit with extra risk), Ivanov via decision at +200 is not a bad bet to make.
However, each of Ivanov’s last seven professional fights have gone the distance. On the other side, five of Tybura’s last seven fights in the UFC were left to the discretion of the judges.
Giving up size to Tybura, look for Ivanov to rely on that impressive Sambo background and wrestle his way to victory.
Pick: Ivanov moneyline (+115 at DraftKings)
