‘Polar Bear’ targets revenge in UFC Fight Night

Serghei ‘Polar Bear’ Spivac will target revenge when he faces Marcin Tybura in the heavyweight main event of a UFC Fight Night at the APEX Facility in Las Vegas, Nevada, on the morning of Sunday 11 August 2024.

Spivac (16-4) and Tybura (25-8) have crossed paths once before, with the latter claiming a unanimous decision win in Virginia in February 2020.

Spivac has won three of his last four matches in the Octagon, though his most recent outing saw him stopped in the second round by former interim heavyweight champion Ciryl Gane in Paris in September of last year.

The 29-year-old Russian nonetheless continues to believe in the process he undergoes to prepare for a fight: “I never change anything in terms of my training, I always work very hard,” he explained.

“I never focus on one aspect of the game. Me and my coaches work hard and try to improve in all areas of mixed martial arts.”

Spivac added, “This fight to me is just a next fight in my career, against an opponent who is ranked higher than me in the world rankings. I just need to keep marching forward. I just need to win.”

Tybura has also won three of his last four UFC matches, though his most recent outing brought a victory, as he claimed a technical submission over the hard-hitting Tai Tuivasa in March of this year.

The 38-year-old Pole says he wants to reach the top of the division, but has the presence of mind to enjoy the ups and downs of his career.

“Having the mindset about getting the gold one day is something I think every fighter should have if they want to be competitive in MMA, but you still need to focus on the small things, too,” Tybura explained.

He added, “Sometimes, if you don’t give up, there are opportunities that will come; it’s as simple as that.”

The rest of the card features a bantamweight co-main event between Chris Gutierrez and Javid Basharat; Damon Jackson v Chepe Mariscal in a featherweight fight; a women’s bantamweight battle pitting Yana Santos agaimst Chelsea Chandler; and a flyweight opener between Allan Nascimento and Jafel Filho.

UFC Fight Night: Tybura v Spivac 2 – Main card

- Main event: Heavyweight: Marcin Tybura v Serghei Spivac

- Bantamweight: Chris Gutierrez v Javid Basharat

- Featherweight: Damon Jackson v Chepe Mariscal

- Women’s bantamweight: Yana Santos v Chelsea Chandler

- Flyweight: Allan Nascimento v Jafel Filho