Marcin Tybura is making his second trip to “Fight Island” in Abu Dhabi this weekend. And he’ll be looking to find similar results, after a successful outing back in July.
Tybura (19-6) has been paired up with “Big” Ben Rothwell at UFC Fight Island 5. It’s a fight with a heavyweight veteran, one that could land him back in the division’s rankings.
Of first, he has to contend with a unique opponent in Rothwell. With so many fights under “Big” Ben’s belt, 50 in total, there’s a question of where to even begin your preparation. “It’s a matter of his unusual style, a little bit. He moves in a very specific way,” noted Tybura. Rothwell moves forward, and puts on the pressure, he added. “Of course he can land the big punches, he can knock out people. For sure, he knows how to wrestle and knows how to submit. He’s a huge guy, very strong.”
Tybura and Rothwell, career-wise, are in very similar circumstances at the moment. Both on two-fight win streaks. Both on the outside of the top 15, looking in. Tybura’s pair of victories has come against Sergey Spivak and Maxim Grishin. A win over Rothwell is a different beast, as he carries far greater name value. “That’s something that will bring me back to top 15 or even top 10,” believes Tybura.
As far as his recent change of fortunes, the Polish heavyweight explained that “I think I’ve been in a very good place. Like a couple of months ago, I adjusted everything in my head and in my training camps.”
The results speak for themselves.
Watch the full UFC Fight Island 5 virtual press scrum with Marcin Tybura above. The event airs live this Saturday, October 10 on ESPN+ (TSN in Canada).
