Heavyweight Strikers Tai Tuivasa And Marcin Tybura Collide At UFC Apex
Featured Bouts: Thiago Moises Vs Brad Riddell
UFC returns to the APEX with a card headlined by a collision of top-ranked heavyweights that will see No. 8 Tai Tuivasatake on No. 11 Marcin Tybura. Also on the card, an exciting lightweight bout pits Thiago Moises against Brad Riddell.
UFC FIGHT NIGHT: TUIVASA vs. TYBURA will take place Saturday, March 16 at UFC APEX in Las Vegas. The entire card will stream exclusively on ESPN+ in English and Spanish with the prelims beginning at 4 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. PT followed by the main card at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT.
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Tuivasa (14-6, fighting out of Western Sydney, NSW, Australia) looks to deliver another signature finish in his third UFC main event. A fan favorite, Tuivasa has finished all but one of his bouts by KO, including victories over Derrick Lewis, Augusto Sakai and Greg Hardy. He now aims to begin his 2024 campaign with a statement victory and build momentum for another run at the title.
Tybura (24-8, fighting out of Uniejow, Poland) intends to break back into the Top 10 of the division with a vintage performance. A well-rounded veteran, he holds notable wins over Andrei Arlovski, Stefan Struve and Walt Harris. Tybura now has his sights set on taking out Tuivasa and putting together another long win streak.
Moises (17-7, fighting out of Indaiatuba, Brazil) plans to put his submission skills to use in a classic striker versus grappler matchup. Still only 28 years old, Moises cemented himself as a top prospect ever since he joined the UFC six years ago with victories over Michael Johnson, Bobby Green and Alexander Hernandez. He now seeks to impress against Riddell and once again crack the Top 15.
Riddell (10-4, fighting out of Auckland, New Zealand) looks to add another post-fight bonus to his resume. An entertaining striker, he burst onto the UFC scene with standout performances against Jamie Mullarkey, Magomed Mustafaev and Drew Dober. Ridell now hopes to return to the win column in highlight-reel fashion.
Additional bouts on the card include:
Light heavyweight action sees former title challenger Ovince Saint Preux (26-17, fighting out of Knoxville, Tenn.) face off with Kennedy Nzechukwu (12-4, fighting out of Dallas, Texas)
Natan Levy (8-1, fighting out of Las Vegas, Nev.) meets Mike Davis (10-2, fighting out of Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) for a thrilling clash at lightweight
No. 7 ranked bantamweight contender Pannie Kianzad (17-7, fighting out of Helsingborg, Sweden) looks to defend her spot in the rankings in a rematch against No. 9 Macy Chiasson (9-3, fighting out of Dallas, Texas)
Josh Culibao (11-2-1, fighting out of Botany, NSW, Australia) and Danny Silva (8-1, fighting out of Santa Ana, Calif.) go toe-to-toe in an exciting featherweight bout
Christian Rodriguez (10-1, fighting out of West Allis, Wisc.) returns to the featherweight division to take on Isaac Dulgarian (6-0, fighting out of Kansas City, Mo.)
No. 14 ranked bantamweight contender Josiane Nunes (10-1, fighting out of Gralha Azul, Parana, Brazil) meets No. 15 Chelsea Chandler (5-2, fighting out of Stockton, Calif.) in an intriguing bout
Middleweight veterans collide as Gerald Meerschaert (35-17, fighting out of Milwaukee, Wisc.) locks horns with Bryan Barberena (18-11, fighting out of Gastonia, N.C.)
A thrilling welterweight bout pits Bryan Battle (11-2, fighting out of Matthews, N.C.) against Ange Loosa (10-3, fighting out of La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland by way of Kinshasa, DR Congo)
Flyweights Jafel Filho (15-3, fighting out of Fuazeiro, Bahia, Brazil) and Ode’ Osbourne (12-6 1 NC, fighting out of Milwaukee, Wisc.) battle in an early Fight of the Night candidate
Jaqueline Amorim(7-1, fighting out of Coconut Creek, Fla. by way of Manaus, Brazil) and Cory McKenna (8-2, fighting out of Cwmbran, Wales) look to impress in a strawweight matchup
Dana White’s Contender Series signee Charalampos Grigoriou(8-3, fighting out of Queens, N.Y.) aims to impress in his UFC debut against Chad Anheliger (12-7, fighting out of Airdrie, Alberta, Canada) in a bantamweight scrap
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