The UFC heavyweight division is finally in motion after Jon Jones vacated the title to retire from the sport, and veteran Marcin Tybura has a hard time seeing anyone beating now-undisputed champion Tom Aspinall at the moment.
Aspinall is scheduled to face Ciryl Gane in the main event of UFC 321 on Oct. 25. On the same card in Abu Dhabi, Alexander Volkov and Jailton Almeida battle in what could end up being a title eliminator.
Tybura, who faces Ante Delija at UFC Paris on Sept. 6, discussed the current title picture in a recent interview with MMA Fighting.
“I don’t see anyone beating Tom Aspinall,” Tybura said. “I think Tom will stay on the throne for a while. But it’s not for sure because in the past I was so sure about some champions, that they [would] stay there. And two, three fights they were gone because of some other issues, like they lost ambitions or something like this.
“There are lots of factors that get you there. Right now, I don’t see anyone beating Tom, but you never know what’s happening in the future.”
Volkov lasted less than four minutes when he fought Aspinall back in 2022, and Tybura sees Brazil’s “Malhadinho” as “one of the guys who’s running up very fast” to become a strong contender to dethrone the current king.
In the meantime, Tybura is “hoping and dreaming” of entering title contention in the near future. The Polish heavyweight has beaten rising prospects Jhonata Diniz and Mick Parkin in his most recent octagon appearances, improving to 10-3 since 2020 with sole defeats against Aspinall, Volkov, and Serghei Spivac.
Tybura and Delija met before in 2015, when Delija landed a strong leg kick that ended up breaking his leg in gruesome fashion. Tybura signed with the UFC months later, and Delija would only fight again in 2018. Delija makes his UFC debut after going 8-3 under the PFL banner, winning the belt in 2022 with a semifinal knockout over Renan Ferreira.
‘There’s always some motions in every division, and heavyweight has the same,’ Tybura said. “There is a new UFC heavyweight coming. And where do I see myself? I see myself in the right spot. That’s what I earned so far. I think I’m [ranked] eight or seven or nine, somewhere around here right now.
“And I still feel like I’m getting a chance, so my job is to go to the gym, work, train, dream about my goals in the future. That’s what I can do. I’m not planning the path. But still, the dream is there. And I hope one day, maybe, I will be capable of getting there right to the top.”
A victory at UFC Paris could change his future for the better in that aspect, opening the door for a top-ranked match-up.
“I think like winning in a good style would get me that, for sure,” Tybura said. “It’s not like always just winning itself makes you to get what you want in the UFC. For sure, the style makes a difference for a decision later, so I’m just trying to be 100 percent focused on the fight and play well for myself, enjoy it as much as possible. Whatever happens in the future, happens in the future. I’m not going that much ahead because in the past I used to do it, and it didn’t work well for me [laughs]. Nowadays, I just try to be more focused on the present, what’s right ahead of my eyes.”
Delija’s UFC debut comes after a 42-second knockout over Yorgan De Castro in Slovenia, bouncing back from a first-round defeat in PFL to Valentin Moldavsky, back in April 2024. The Croatian heavyweight was finished in five of his six professional losses, and Tybura feels prepared for anything.
“I usually go with my mindset that whatever happens in a fight, I should be able to react on it,” Tybura said. “Even though I fought him, sometimes you might not be able to see in his previous fights what he’s capable of in grappling or striking or whatever. I usually don’t see like a clear path, ‘Oh, I take him down or I gonna outstrike him or something like this.’ I’m just trying to prepare everything and make it an MMA fight. Whatever happens, I should be able to adjust.”
Since losing to Tybura in 2015, Delija was victorious in 11 of his next 14 bouts to finally reach the UFC.
“It’s a rematch for sure, but we fought like 10 years ago,” Tybura told MMA Fighting. “It was an injury from Ante so I couldn’t take anything from that fight. He’s a very good opponent. Outside of the UFC, I think he was one of the strongest heavyweights right now. … We are completely different kind of people since then. Before the injury happened the fight was really crazy, Ante was going very strong in this one, and he broke his leg. I actually take nothing from the previous fight coming to this. I see it as a completely new challenge.”
Tybura said he’s “impressed with his career” in PFL, a run that includes victories over the likes of Renan Ferreira, Denis Goltsov, and twice against Matheus Scheffel, but wasn’t paying too much attention while it unfolded.
“Outside of the UFC, he’s one of the strongest heavyweights, I think, so I was kind of surprised that it took so long for him to sign [with the UFC],” Tybura said, “but probably he had other offers and he was doing well in other promotions. I wouldn’t say I follow his career, but I know of his fights because of previous opponent. Many fights he did, I just was able to sometimes see, sometimes notice that he wins or something like this, so I was actually a little bit in touch with his career.
“I watched some of his fights — I’m not much of an analyst, I just leave it to my coaches, that’s for sure, but I watched a couple of the fights. Maybe three of his last fights, because I know fighters are changing their style and stuff like this. I’m not very good at analyzing everything, but I have very good people with me who do it for me, and that works usually best for me.”
Despite Delija’s successful run prior to joining the UFC, Tybura admits he would have rather faced someone ranked higher in the promotion today — especially after battling unranked prospects in back-to-back fights.
“If someone gave me an option, I always pick someone who makes me go higher in the rankings,” Tybura said. “But at the same time, I know UFC was giving me the opportunities before, and I was able to rise. In my career, sometimes I wasn’t able to take advantage of everything they give me opportunities, so I don’t feel disappointed for anything. I just feel like I’m getting another opportunity from the UFC. It may be because I have a two-win streak. Maybe everybody thinks I should get someone higher ranked, but I think I can earn it in the future and still be happy about the process and everything.”
