The Las Vegas metropolitan area will be buzzing with activity this weekend. It’s already abuzz as of the time this article is set to be published. T-Mobile Arena, the UFC‘s de facto “home” arena, will be occupied between now and Saturday night with the final staging of the Pac-12 Men’s Basketball Tournament before most of the league’s member schools leave for other conferences amid the changing landscape of collegiate sports.
While T-Mobile Arena plays host to basketball this weekend, there’s still MMA action to be had in Sin City. Nearby Enterprise plays host to another UFC Fight Night at the Apex facility, UFC Vegas 88. Live coverage of Saturday’s show begins at 4 pm ET/ 1 pm PT with the prelims, continuing at 7 pm ET/ 4 pm PT with main card action.
As always, the fights will be streamed wall-to-wall over ESPN+ inside the United States. Absent of any postponed bouts between now and then, 13 contests will be held on the evening.
Heavyweights Clash in UFC Vegas 88 Main Event
Topping the night’s activities is a battle at 265 lbs. in the UFC Vegas 88 main event. No. 9 contender Tai Tuivasa (15-6 MMA, 8-6 UFC) meets up with No. 10 contender Marcin Tybura (24-8 MMA, 11-7 UFC). This fight was originally scheduled for Feb. 17 but was scrubbed after Tuivasa sustained a torn meniscus.
As with all main events in the UFC, this one is an advertised maximum of five rounds at five minutes per round to close out the itinerary for the night and weekend.
UFC Vegas 88 Main Event Fighter Comparison and Betting Odds
Heading into the UFC Vegas 88 main event on Saturday night, Marcin Tybura stands as the taller contestant at 6-foot-3, with Tai Tuivasa countering at 6-foot-2. Tybura also owns a three-inch reach advantage (78 inches to 75 inches), along with a 6 1/2-inch leg reach advantage (46 inches even to 39 1/2 inches).
As of Thursday afternoon, the oddsmakers have installed Tai Tuivasa as a -125 favorite on the money line, while Marcin Tybura is a +105 underdog. If you plan on betting on this or any other fight happening this weekend, please wager responsibly.
Tuivasa Hungry for a Win
Tai Tuivasa enters the UFC Vegas 88 main event on Saturday having gone 2-3 in his last five fights. At the moment, he’s on a three-fight losing streak dating back to Sept. 3, 2022. Last time out, he dropped a second-round submission by way of Ezekiel choke to Alexander Volkov (37-10 MMA, 11-4 UFC) on Sept. 9 during UFC 293.
On Wednesday, he made an appearance on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani. He mentioned that he’s still in good spirits despite losing three fights in a row.
“My confidence is always there, my confidence is good,” Tuivasa said. “I’ve actually fought [in] this camp, I’ve actually been punching and kicking. My last camp, I didn’t. Due to injuries, I didn’t get much punching or kicking in at all. It was tough, but this camp, I feel really good. I’m back with my OG team and I’m back at home. I’ve been training at home with my son and stuff, so [it’s] been a long camp. I just want to get out there and get the win and lose myself in Las Vegas.”
Tai Tuivasa is a man in need of a victory on Saturday night, but will he be able to return to the winner’s circle?
Marcin Tybura Embracing Main Event Opportunity
In the other corner, Marcin Tybura enters this headliner having posted a mark of 3-2 in his last five fights. Back in July of last year, he saw a two-fight winning streak end at the hands of Tom Aspinall (14-3 MMA, 7-1 UFC) by first-round knockout (ground and pound) in UFC London‘s main event.
At Wednesday’s media availability, he discussed the change in date and venue for the fight against Tuivasa.
“That’s something I was thinking,” Tybura began, “The UFC pay-per-view events are a little bit more– the bigger events. It was nice to be in Anaheim [for UFC 298], but still, getting the main event, I think it’s equal for this one, so, nothing changed.”
Had the fight been held as originally scheduled at this time last month, it would have been a three-round affair. Can Tybura shine under the main event spotlight?
Analysis, Film Study, and Prediction
Stylistically, the UFC Vegas 88 main event looks to favor Marcin Tybura, a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, compared to Tai Tuivasa’s background as a boxer and kickboxer.
Tuivasa Can Work Quickly
There’s a constant in any heavyweight fight: Just one strike landed right on the button can mean game, set, and match for the contest. While there are undoubtedly countless examples of this happening, Tai Tuivasa illustrated this in devastating fashion in 2021 vs. Greg Hardy.
Tuivasa pieced the former defensive end up with kicks to the leg in round one, and while both men briefly traded shots, the Australian stunned Hardy with a vicious punch to knock him down before finishing the job with a flurry of ground and pound shots.
Look for Tai Tuivasa to try and land the first big punch on Saturday night. If he finds a home for it, it’ll be game over in the UFC Vegas 88 main event.
Tybura Will Battle Back if Needed
In the other corner, the Marcin Tybura camp need not worry if their fighter is under some heat. He’s been in a position like this before, specifically against Walt Harris.
While Harris had control of the fight early on, Tybura reversed the script with a takedown and eventually took back mount to try and lock up a submission before scoring with nasty ground and pound shots. This onslaught was too much and the referee was forced to call a stop to the activity with less than a minute to go.
Final Thoughts
There isn’t much left for us to say about the UFC Vegas 88 main event that hasn’t already been said except for this warning: Get that popcorn ready ahead of time.
Prediction: Marcin Tybura by First-Round Knockout.
