Almost as soon as it was reported, the heavyweight clash between Blagoy Ivanov and Marcin Tybrua at UFC 260 is no more.
According to a report by Bulgaria’s 24Chasa, Ivanov (18-4, 1NC) has suffered an undisclosed injury, and will not be able to compete next month. Tybura subsequently confirmed the news on social media.
“Same story over and over again. Yo heavyweights, where you at? Anyone wants to meet me 3/27 in Vegas?” Tybura (21-6) wrote in response to a report of the fight falling through.
While now-former opponent Ivanov has lost two straight, Tybura has a very different streak going. The Polish heavyweight has won his last four bouts, dating back to February of 2020. Perhaps overlooked in the Fighter of the Year category, “Tybur” has quietly become a force to be reckoned with in the UFC’s heaviest of weight classes. After earning decision wins against Sergey Spivak, Maxim Grishin, and “Big” Ben Rothwell, Tybura then became the first man to stop former NFL star Greg Hardy inside the octagon — in violent fashion at UFC Vegas 17 in December.
With just over a month until the event, the hope is that the UFC can find a replacement for Ivanov. The UFC 260 card on March 27, meanwhile, currently consists of the following bouts:
Stipe Miocic vs. Francis Ngannou – for the UFC heavyweight championship
Alexander Volkanovski (c) vs. Brian Ortega – for the UFC featherweight championship
Tyron Woodley vs. Vicente Luque
Sean O’Malley vs. Thomas Almeida
Khama Worthy vs. Jamie Mullarkey
Modestas Bukauskas vs. Michał Oleksiejczuk
Jessica Penne vs. Hannah Goldy
Marcin Tybura vs. TBD
