Both Romanov and Ivanov are ranked heavyweight fighters who have contending aspirations. In this bout, a win will re-enter themselves into the top 10 status, but with a loss, they face the threat of getting cut given the perpetual defeat. This high-stakes affair for ranked fighters is unique and will certainly result in an entertaining affair.

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Betting Odds

The commonality of styles accompanied by each having similar levels of success rationalizes the -110 price tag in each direction.

• Alexander Romanov: -140 (BetUS)
• Blagoy Ivanov: +110 (BetUS)

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Fight Breakdown

Alexander Romanov was, not too long ago, touted as one of the most exciting heavyweight prospects on the roster. Beyond having an undefeated record, the style and dominance in the octagon of Romanov excited many fans, particularly because his style is the antithesis of so many, that is, wrestling over all else.

When Romanov is fighting his best, he shoots a tackle-like takedown early in the fight, controls his opponent, and inflicts devastating ground and pound. This style, of using a blitz, tackle tactic suits him coming in as heavy as possible come fight night, but, he has experimented with coming in light and agile in the past, and this experiment has cost him. So, I expect him to be heavy, but in shape, and if Romanov is that, then he can fight in his high-end prospect ways. If done, I do believe he will rinse and repeat the style of tackling his opponent and finishing it on the mat, but if he fails to secure an early takedown, he may need to strike to set up an angle for a shot, and the longer he strikes, the more susceptible he is with wearing damage and falling behind in the fight.

Placing importance in the grappling department is certainly important for Blagoy Ivanov as well. The difference though between him and Romanov is that where Romanov relies on athletic ability and natural strength to secure a blitz takedown, Ivanov prefers to grind his way to the ground. He does so often by pressuring his opponent the best he can, and then, getting the fight against the cage where he can slowly work his way to the ground. On paper, a pressure striker who prefers to grapple in the subpar grappling division that is the heavyweight division is highly successful, but the issue for Ivanov is that while he wants to pressure to close distance, he needs to do so through a hyper-cautious way given he is less than agile coupled with him not having the severe power threat his opponents often possess, thus making him have a cautious-pressure approach which is certainly an oxymoron.

In this fight, Ivanov will have a key advantage if he can pass the initial test of Romanov. That advantage is the ability to patiently and methodically land strikes on the feet and perform well against the cage. While the case, Ivanov will need to show the ability to stuff the unique takedowns of Romanov, and while Ivanov does have strong grappling defense, if he is tripped up and put on his back, the top game of Romanov will likely prove too much for him.

Prediction and Betting Guide

The way in which this fight will start will be largely dependent on how heavy Romanov comes into this fight. If light, I expect Romanov to strike from the outside, and then, Ivanov close distance and make this a fight against the cage. If heavy, I expect Romanov to blitz Ivanov with a tackle-like takedown. Trusting Romanov will come in heavy, I believe Romanov will indeed blitz Ivanov, and given the slow nature of Ivanov coupled with Romanov having good takedown offense early, I expect Romanov to get this fight to the mat and quickly inflict damage, which will either end the fight or allow him to find success later through a damaged Ivanov.

Pick: Romanov to win (-140 odds at BetUS)

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The post Alexander Romanov vs. Blagoy Ivanov prediction | UFC on ESPN 48 appeared first on The Body Lock.

The two were initially slated to fight back in 2021 at UFC 260, however, Ivanov was forced to pull out due to injury, prompting Tybura to take a fight against perennial contender Walt Harris, in which he produced a dominant first-round finish. Ivanov would continue to take time off, not returning until his unanimous decision over Marcos Rogerio de Lima, however, Tybura would stay active during this time, snapping his five-fight win streak against top contender Alexander Volkov but returning to win a huge upset against top heavyweight prospect Alexander Romanov.

Betting Odds

Tybura returns as a slight favorite for the first time since his bout against Walt Harris.

• Blagoy Ivanov: +105
• Marcin Tybura: -125

Fight Breakdown

Marcin Tybura appears to have more momentum on his side, having won six of his last seven bouts, with every win being a dominant decision or finish over top-tier heavyweights such as Sergey Spivak, Alexander Romanov, and seasoned veteran Ben Rothwell. He has a 66% finish rate but has proven himself to have a more than capable level of cardio, taking fighters like Romanov and Greg Hardy into deep waters at a steady pace for a heavyweight fighter. Tybura’s main concern is his lack of defense in his stand-up, as shown in his losses against Augusto Sakai and Shamil Abdurakhimov where he got clipped by heavy shots without moving his head off the center line or bringing up his guard. However, his win streak following these two losses and his ability to go the distance with a top-tier striker like Alexander Volkov seems to show that these deficits in striking defense have been polished to an extent.

Tybura is also an extremely proficient grappler for the heavyweight division, recently earning his black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. His wins over Greg Hardy and Walt Harris came as a result of his great conditioning and dangerous ground-and-pound skills. As previously mentioned, he was even able to take top prospect Alexander Romanov into deep waters to win a majority decision, out-grappling and wrestling him in many exchanges throughout the fight.

Blagoy Ivanov has seemed to recover well from his 2021 injury as shown by his returning bout against Rogerio de Lima. The Bulgarian had exchanged some heavy shots with the Brazilian, exhausting him into the third round to unleash harsh counters and threaten dangerous submissions against the fence. Ivanov himself was also exhausted towards the end of the bout but showed resounding toughness and grit. He has never been finished in the UFC, despite some difficult wars with powerful strikers like Tai Tuivasa, Derrick Lewis, and Augusto Sakai. On the other hand, however, he has also never pulled off a finish in the UFC, making many of his victories a byproduct of mettle and endurance rather than technical proficiency. This is not to say that Ivanov does not hit hard, however, as there were many moments in his fights where he hurt his opponents with clean right hands and effective dirty boxing in the clinch.

From a statistical standpoint, Tybura seems to have the advantage in every department aside from age, with him being one year older than Ivanov. Aside from that, he sports a four-inch reach advantage and five-inch height advantage, which would likely make it difficult for Ivanov to initiate a clinch as he does in the latter rounds of many of his fights. As well as this, Tybura seems to have an advantage in his grappling and level of conditioning, which favors him towards the second half of the fight.

Ivanov’s success in this fight is contingent on hurting Tybura as early in the fight as possible like Sakai and Abdurakhimov had done to pull a finish. This is unlikely though, as his fights with Derrick Lewis and Rogerio de Lima have shown him to be a bit of a slow starter. Ivanov still has a chance to clip Tybura with a heavy shot, which history dictates would change the pace and course of the fight, however, he also gets hit quite a bit himself.

Prediction and Betting Guide

Although Ivanov still has a very real chance in this fight depending on how well Tybura shows up from a defensive standpoint, the meager odds of +105 would not make it a very worthwhile wager. Ivanov’s only chance to secure a finish in this fight, aside from relying on Tybura to keep his hands down, would be to initiate strikes from within the clinch, however, Tybura has shown himself to be more than capable of putting forward his own offensive wrestling and dirty boxing from the clinch. Ivanov’s toughness and Tybura’s lack of finishes outside of ground and pound make betting on a stoppage unlikely, however, Ivanov has been submitted by Alexander Volkov outside of the UFC, so there is still a possibility to see a finish.

At -125, Tybura is a fairly risky bet on his own but would make a great addition to a parlay. In all likelihood, however, Tybura via decision would be the most effective wager to place.

Pick: Marcin Tybura to win by decision

The post Marcin Tybura vs. Blagoy Ivanov prediction | UFC Vegas 68 appeared first on The Body Lock.

Lewis vs. Ivanov takes place on the UFC 244 pay-per-view main card and will stream exclusively on ESPN+ in the United States. At the top of the main card is a BMF title fight between Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz.

UFC 244 play-by-play updates

Main Card

• Jorge Masvidal def. Nate Diaz via TKO (doctor’s stoppage) – R3, 5:00 (play-by-play & video)
• Darren Till def. Kelvin Gastelum via split decision (30-27, 29-28, 27-30) (play-by-play & video)
• Stephen Thompson def. Vicente Luque via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 29-27) (play-by-play & video)
• Derrick Lewis def. Blagoy Ivanov via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28) (play-by-play & video)
• Kevin Lee def. Gregor Gillespie via KO – R1, 2:47 (play-by-play & video)

Prelims

• Prelims play-by-play and results

Derrick Lewis vs. Blagoy Ivanov play-by-play

Lewis (21-7) has suffered defeat in his last two fights before UFC 244. “The Black Beast” was submitted by Daniel Cormier at UFC 230 before then being stopped by Junior dos Santos in March.

Ivanov (18-2) has bounced back from his defeat to Junior dos Santos by scoring consecutive decision wins against Ben Rothwell and Tai Tuivasa. He steps into UFC 244 with two wins and no defeats in 2019.

Read on for our UFC 244 play-by-play updates and results for Derrick Lewis vs. Blagoy Ivanov.

Round one

They touch gloves and we’re on. Typically slow, plodding start from Lewis as he starts walking Ivanov back. Lewis with a left kick to the body but Ivanov catches it. Ivanov drags Lewis to the ground and now stands over him. Passes the legs and dives into side control. Ivanov locks up the arm of Lewis and goes for the Americana submission. Lewis explodes up and then stands with Ivanov.

Lewis unloads a seriously powerful combination of punches but Ivanov evades. Lewis now has Ivanov’s back to the cage. Ivanov dives for a guillotine but Lewis stands again. Ivanov connects with a knee to the body. Lewis just leaning on Ivanov, while Ivanov tries to separate. Lewis lands an elbow from the clinch. Ivanov attempts a hip toss but Lewis stays heavy and keeps his feet. Lewis cracks Ivanov with some heavy punches at close range.

Now they’re back to the center of the cage after an extended period of clinching. Body shot from Ivanov. Lewis patient and seemingly waiting for his moment to explode with some big strikes again. Horn sounds and that’s the end of round one.

Ivanov had a couple of submission attempts but Lewis landed enough hard shots to make a greater impact during that round.

The Body Lock scores round one for Derrick Lewis (10-9).

Round two

Another slow, patient start from Lewis. A leg kick lands for him. He pushes Ivanov back to the cage. Lewis misses with an uppercut. The two are standing in the middle of the cage again just staring at each other – not much happening.

Lewis comes forward with some big strikes. Unloads a heavy right hand. Ivanov takes it and fires back. Lewis stumbles but returns fire. Ivanov took several powerful shots really well and now ends up on top in side control again after they fall. Ivanov working on another American submission from side control and Lewis survives. he stands up and rushes at Ivanov. He’s now throwing several heavy strikes again. Ivanov eating them all. Ivanov’s wearing a cut above his right eye.

The fight slows down when they tie up in the clinch again. Lewis lands a big knee but Ivanov is still standing. Lewis goes after him again with a combination of punches but can’t put him down. Now it’s Ivanov pressing Lewis back to the cage and he lands a solid punch to the head. Ivanov trips Lewis and takes him down. He’s now holding a guillotine attempt at the end of the round but runs out of time.

Lewis landing huge punches and that’s definitely making the greater impact in this fight. Ivanov having some great moments, though, with several more submission attempts in this round. Close fight.

The Body Lock scores round two for Derrick Lewis (10-9).

Lewis swinging for the fences in round 2!!#UFC244 pic.twitter.com/YerpHBOY40

— UFC (@ufc) November 3, 2019

Round three

Lewis circling while Ivanov walking forward. Nothing happening through the first minute of this round. Lewis attempts a right hand but Ivanov dips and evades. Ivanov uses a combination of punches to move forward and close the distance. He has Lewis tied up against the cage again. Another trip attempt from Ivanov but Lewis defends. Classic heavyweight work against the age right now with the guys just leaning on each other. Another trip is defended by Lewis.

Lewis hasn’t done much in this round, but Ivanov hasn’t done a lot either. He eats a couple of hard shots from Ivanov and then attempts to crack him with a counter strike but misses. Hard knee from Lewis as they tie up again. Lewis shoots and Ivanov sprawls, defends, and puts his weight on Lewis. Lewis explodes up to his feet. They’re now tied against the cage, again. Hard uppercuts in the clinch from Lewis. Lewis storms forward with a combination of punches and a heavy uppercut lands near the end for him. That’s the horn and the end of round three. A close, competitive fight from start to finish with great moments for both fighters.

Lewis may have stolen the round in the final seconds, but we’re going to favor Ivanov to win this round considering his more consistent work throughout.

The Body Lock scores round three for Blagoy Ivanov (10-9), with our scorecard showing Derrick Lewis as the winner (29-28) at the end of three rounds.

Official result: Derrick Lewis def. Blagoy Ivanov via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28)

They're swinging away in the final :20!!#UFC244 pic.twitter.com/mn2UHVhnh5

— UFC (@ufc) November 3, 2019

The post UFC 244: Derrick Lewis vs. Blagoy Ivanov play-by-play, results, live blog appeared first on The Body Lock.

Tai Tuivasa entered the UFC with an undefeated record. In his debut with the organization, “Bam Bam” showed off his athleticism when he launched his massive frame into the air and landed a devastating flying knee on Rashad Coulter back in 2017. After thrashing Cyril Asker in his second outing, the Australian would then take a closely contested decision victory over the seasoned Andrei Arlovski at UFC 225 last year in The Windy City.

Tuivasa then got his first headlining gig when he met former UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos at UFC Adelaide last December. Dos Santos became the first man to halt the surging Tuivasa and finished him via TKO in the second round.

On June 8, standing across from the former professional rugby player will be a Sambo world champion.

Ivanov famously defeated Fedor Emelianenko en route to taking the gold back to Bulgaria in the 2008 World Sambo Championships. He then turned his focus fully to MMA and was undefeated when a barroom brawl ended with him being nearly fatally stabbed in the chest in 2012. After a tough recovery, Ivanov returned to MMA and fought in Bellator where he’d go 4-1. He would then sign with the World Series of Fighting in 2015, where he won and defended the heavyweight title multiple times. Ivanov had amassed a record of 16-1 before signing to the UFC last year. In his debut with the promotion, he too would fall to Junior dos Santos who used his slick boxing to outpoint the Bulgarian over five rounds.

Ivanov was last seen in action just under three weeks ago. He went three rounds with the returning Ben Rothwell and won a somewhat controversial unanimous decision.  

UFC 238 is scheduled to take place at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. The main event has yet to be announced, but we do know that women’s flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko look to make her first title defense against Jessica Eye on the card. The card also features Tatiana Suarez taking on Nina Ansaroff in a fight that could push either woman into title contention.

The post Tai Tuivasa vs. Blagoy Ivanov set for UFC 238 appeared first on The Body Lock.