UFC London: Experience key to Marcin Tybura's impressive run since up-and-down debut
Marcin Tybura came to MMA as a jiu-jitsu fighter, and he used his formidable skills to rack up a 13-1 record on the regional circuit. He finished 11 of those 13 wins and won the M1 Global heavyweight title.
He joined the UFC in 2016, only months before the company's $4 billion-plus sale, and was eager to prove himself on the world's biggest stage. Things, though, didn't always go as he wanted.
After a 3-1 start in the UFC, he went 1-4. Nine fights into his UFC career, he was 4-5 and viewed as just another guy. He believed in his heart — no, he knew — that he was better than that, that the 16-2 start to his MMA career was more representative of him as a fighter than the four losses in five outings he'd just endured.
He changed coaches, he changed his approach and mostly, he changed his mindset.
"For a while there, I used to think, 'Strangle, strangle, strangle,' and that was it," Tybura said, laughing. "I came from that [jiu-jitsu] background. It was what I knew. It was what I did."
He came to a realization that his jiu-jitsu was good enough to win him plenty of fights, even against the best fighters in the world. But it was hard to be consistent and to reach the top being one-dimensional.
A funny thing occurred: As he diversified, as he improved his stand-up game, his jiu-jitsu became more dangerous.
He faces No. 5 Tom Aspinall on Saturday in the main event of UFC London at the O2 Arena in London, England, a fight designed to showcase Aspinall's varied talents. Aspinall is clearly the biggest fight of Tybura's career, and while he's been overlooked in many corners, he's certain it's not just going to be The Tom Aspinall Show.
Tybura, now ranked 10th in the division, believes in his chances despite the better-than-4-to-1 odds against him.
"I have a lot more experience in the cage now and I have a good sense now of what I need to do in there," he said. "It's coaching, it's hard work, it's looking at yourself [critically] and really understanding what you need to do to go to the next level. It's not easy to fully explain in a few minutes, but I feel like I've made the changes I have needed to make and I'm at my best right now."
He's 37, and it's probably safe to say that most UFC fans outside of his native Poland have never considered him a potential champion. Aspinall has come away impressed after studying Tybura carefully, and he vows he's not looking past him — because Tybura is the real deal.
"I think he's really good," Aspinall said. "I've watched a lot of his fights. He's really unorthodox. I think he's super durable. I think he possesses a lot of things that not a lot of other heavyweights possess in the fact that he doesn't quit when it gets tough. When he gets tired, he doesn't quit as well. That's pretty rare for a big guy. Usually, big guys are good at being the hammer but not so much being the nail, especially when they're tired. When they get tired, they look for a way out. Marcin doesn't do that as much as other guys do and so I've taken him very seriously."
Aspinall and Tybura posed for photos Monday in London to promote the fight and Aspinall spoke to Tybura in Polish, Tybura's native tongue. As they were nose-to-nose, Aspinall said in Polish, "You're not fat anymore. What happened?"
Tybura said he wasn't insulted but will be slimmer Saturday than he has been. It hasn't been a conscious effort, though. It was more a matter of him knowing how important the fight is and the time of the year he's been training.
"Honestly, I didn't pay attention to how my body looked getting ready for this fight," Tybura said, grinning. "I've just been working really hard to be prepared. I know how big of a challenge he is and how important this fight is to me. To be honest with you, I've worked my ass off for this fight. The pounds I've lost have come naturally. I didn't plan it. I didn't want to necessarily do that. My coach, actually, was telling me, 'Gain some! Try to eat more!' But it's the summer now in Poland and it's been hot, so it's easy to sweat."
Maybe no one has ever considered him more than a long-shot contender, but a win over the highly regarded Aspinall will change that. Aspinall is No. 5 and if Tybura wins, he could hit the top five in the divisional rankings next week.
He's not worried about where, just that he's able to continue on his goal of winning the title.
"Of course that's the goal," he said of winning the belt. "I feel like I'm making progress and this fight is very important to me. So I've given everything I have to prepare and I'm looking forward to going out and maybe surprising those who don't know what I am about."
