Salt Lake City, UT — At UFC 278, Polish heavyweight Marcin Tybura became the first man to defeat Moldovan up-and-comer Alexander Romanov.
Romanov, to be blunt, manhandled Tybura in the opening round, throwing the big man about like a sack of potatoes. But as Romanov tired in the later rounds, Tybura did not, allowing him to claim a majority decision win at the end of three rounds.
Despite the win, Tybura (23-7) doesn’t believe he’s derailed Romanov’s hype train, he told media outlets including Cageside Press following the fight. “His hype is still there, and I think he’s getting to the top. It’s like, I’m also getting to the top, so we just clashed a little bit sooner than we were supposed to. He’s still there.”
Tybura was satisfied with being able to endure a rough first round, and then come back in the second. Not that he had expected it. “It’s not something I’m planning. It’s really hard for me to give up, and that’s it. That’s why my cardio seems to be so good. I didn’t plan in this fight for me to have a guy on my back for the whole round.”
When the scores were being read, particularly with a 28-28 in play, Tybura admitted that he wasn’t certain he’d get the nod. “I wasn’t so sure. I’m never 100% sure when the fights end,” he stated. “I never argue about close fights, I’m supposed to win even though I lost. I’m rather the guy who goes there and tries to get the finish. So when the fights end, I was just patiently waiting for the decision.”
Altitude, which wreaked havoc on the UFC 278 card, didn’t appear to be a factor for Poland’s Tybura, thanks to some advance planning. “I actually came to the U.S. two weeks ago to adjust, we spent a lot of time in the mountains to prepare. Came here early, also did a coupe of trainings here, so I think I adjusted well enough for this altitude.”
As far as when he wants to fight again, the heavyweight added “As soon as possible I guess.”
Watch the full UFC 278 post-fight press scrum with Marcin Tybura above.
