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Preview: UFC 278 ‘Usman vs. Edwards 2’

Romanov vs. Tybura


Heavyweights

#13 HW | Alexander Romanov (16-0, 5-0 UFC) vs. #11 HW | Marcin Tybura (22-7, 9-6 UFC)

ODDS: Romanov (-325), Tybura (+275)

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Now the real tests start for Romanov, one of the more intriguing prospects in the UFC’s heavyweight division. As a man built like a refrigerator and having run over a relatively weak level of competition in his native Moldova, it would have been easy to write off “King Kong” as more of a curiosity than a legitimate future contender. However, there is a lot to like about Romanov. He has some surprising agility for a man his size and some actual wrestling skill, allowing him to typically maul his opponents on his way to one-sided wins. Adding to the intrigue about Romanov is that he appears to actually have a decent gas tank. If it is one-way traffic, Romanov can keep dominating his opponents for multiple rounds, though his April 2021 win over Juan Espino saw him start to tire against a rare heavyweight able to keep up with his grappling ability. Save for the Espino win, most of Romanov’s UFC career has seen him blow through the lower half of the promotion’s heavyweight division, so this test against Tybura is long overdue. Tybura is essentially the gatekeeper to the heavyweight elite at this point, and it has been an interesting path for the Pole, who had a bit of a rude awakening early on in his UFC career. Mostly a wrestling-heavy fighter heading into his UFC debut in 2016, he found himself essentially unable to move Tim Johnson and pivoted to a bit more of a striking-focused approach as a result. That has served Tybura well, as he has eventually swung back to a more well-rounded approach. While “Tybur” still is not particularly imposing by UFC heavyweight standards, he has found a good amount of success surviving and outmaneuvering his more one-dimensional adversaries, dragging many an opponent into deep waters with that wrestling and grappling skill. Romanov should be able to throw Tybura around early, but the question is how long the Moldovan can keep it up. Part of that is dependent on the level of resistance that Tybura can provide, but the fact that this fight takes place at elevation in Salt Lake City also has to be a worry for both men. It is possible that Romanov gasses to the point of being a complete sitting duck for a Tybura finish by the third round, but the bet is that he can bank the first round and find enough control time in the back half of the fight to stay ahead on the scorecards, particularly since “Tybur” also figures to tire in a wrestling-heavy fight. This could be horrific by the end, but the pick is Romanov via decision.



Jump To »
Usman vs. Edwards
Costa vs. Rockhold
Dvalishvili vs. Aldo
Romanov vs. Tybura
Pedro vs. Hunsucker
The Prelims

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