UFC Vegas 95 went down this past weekend (Sat., Aug., 10, 2024) inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, leaving several fighters feeling the post-fight blues. Among them was Pannie Kianzad, who suffered her third straight defeat after coming up short against Karol Rosa.
And Jarno Errens, who was choked out by Youssef Zalal in the very round (see it again here). And let’s not forget about Damon Jackson, who dropped to 1-3 in his last four fights after losing a lopsided unanimous decision to an overweight Chepe Mariscal. But, which fighter is suffering from the worst post-fight hangover, now a few days removed from the show?
Coming into his headlining event against Serghei Spivac, Tybura had the confidence of having already defeated “Polar Bear” four years ago. Furthermore, he had a bit more pep in his step because he was coming off a submission win over Tai Tuivasa (highlights), which helped erase the sting from his first round knockout defeat at the hands of current interim Heavyweight champion, Tom Aspinall (video highlights here).
And a win over Spivac would’ve gotten “Tybur” a bit closer to the Top 5; instead, he could now drop a spot or two after suffering a first round submission loss to his fellow hard-hitting big man. Indeed, after getting tagged by a few shots on the feet, Tybura found himself in trouble once it hit the ground. That’s where Spivac managed to latch onto a tight (and painful) armbar that forced the verbal tap and stoppage.
The loss was devastating for Tybura, who will be turning 39 years old in a few months. That’s because it halts his momentum and sends him back to the drawing board, as well as puts him out of reach of a Top 5 ranking.
There is no telling how much Tybura — a 14-year veteran of the fight sport — has left in him. While UFC’s Heavyweight division allows a contender to climb the ranks faster when compared to other stacked weight classes, Tybura must rack up a few consecutive (and impressive) wins if he doesn’t want to lose too much traction.
As far as he could fight next, he shouldn’t expect to get someone ranked in the Top 10. That’s the reason a fight against Rodrigo Nascimento makes sense. Currently ranked No. 15 in the division, Nascimento saw his three-fight win streak go out the window after he was knocked out by Derrick Lewis this past summer (see it again here). Both men need to get back into the win column and are not in the position to be turning down fight offers. The victor gets a much-need shot of confidence, while the loser goes down 0-2 and adds an immense amount of pressure on his shoulders going into a must-win situation in his next bout.
Just not another Heavyweight main event, please.
For more UFC Vegas 95 results, coverage and highlights click HERE.