- Tai Tuivasa suffered a submission loss in the first round
- The Australian star has not won since February 2022
- Was Tuivasa’s fourth straight loss in the UFC
Australian year-old Tai Tuivasa suffered a first-round defeat to Marcin Tybura in their heavyweight UFC showdown in Las Vegas.
Tuivasa, who turned 31 on fight night, entered Saturday’s fight (Sunday AEDT) ranked ninth in the world and eager to get back on the winners list after three consecutive defeats.
But he was no match for Poland’s world number 9 Tybura, who was left bloodied after taking some early blows but gained the advantage when he tackled Tuivasa to the ground.
Tai Tuivasa was submitted in the first round against Marcin Tybura in their heavyweight showdown
The Australian cult hero has not scored a victory in the UFC since February 2022
Tybura rained down a flurry of blows on Tuivasa as the pair hit the canvas, but it was a rear-naked choke that brought about the Australian’s downfall.
Tuivasa gasped as he struggled against the chokehold for as long as he could, but the referee stopped the fight with 53 seconds left in the first round.
“I feel great,” Tybura said after the win.
‘I won against a very strong opponent. These kinds of fights make me very happy.’
The loss is a huge blow to Tuivasa’s hopes of climbing back up the heavyweight rankings.
Tuivasa’s last win in the UFC octagon came in February 2022, when he defeated Derrick Lewis in a second-round knockout.
Tybura was left bloodied after taking some early blows, but quickly gained the advantage
Since then, the man known as ‘Bam Bam’ has lost to world No. 2 Ciryl Gane, world No. 3 Sergei Pavlovich, world No. 6 Alexander Volkov – and now Tybura.
Fellow countryman Josh Culibao also had a disappointing result in Las Vegas, losing his featherweight fight by split decision to American fighter Danny Silva.
The judges scored the three-round fight 29-28, 28-29, 29-28.