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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Farah Hannoun

Blagoy Ivanov expects standup battle with Marcin Tybura at UFC Fight Night 218

Blagoy Ivanov sees his fight with Marcin Tybura at UFC Fight Night 218 playing out on their feet.

Although Tybura (23-7 MMA, 10-6 UFC) has landed 19 takedowns throughout his octagon tenure, Ivanov (19-4 MMA, 3-3 UFC) envisions more of a standup battle when the pair throw down on Saturday’s main card at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card streams on ESPN+.

“He’s good everywhere,” Ivanov told reporters at Wednesday’s media day. “I’m prepared for this, and I think it’s gonna be more standup.”

He continued, “We’ll see who is the better fighter on Saturday, and I will try to stop him.”

Ivanov hasn’t competed since defeating Marcos Rogerio de Lima last May at UFC 274. The Bulgarian heavyweight revealed that a knee injury kept him out of action, but considering that he only fought once in the past two years, he doesn’t view it as a large layoff.

“My last fight was May, nine months ago,” Ivanov said. “So I got an injury during the preparation for my last fight and then after the fight I did my recovery. That’s why I took so long to fight again, but nine months is nothing for me.”

Watch the video of Ivanov’s complete pre-fight media availability above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 218.

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