Tag: Serghei Spivac

UFC contenders Jailton Almeida, Serghei Spivac booked for 2025 showdown

A heavyweight contender fight is on the UFC schedule for early 2025.

Heavyweight contenders will collide in the second UFC event on the promotion’s 2025 schedule.

[autotag]Jailton Almeida[/autotag] and [autotag]Serghei Spivac[/autotag] are set for a three-round showdown on Jan. 18 at a location and venue to be announced.

Two people with knowledge of the matchup recently informed MMA Junkie of the booking but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.

Almeida (21-3 MMA, 7-0 UFC) has largely dominated every round of his UFC career, outside of a March knockout loss to Curtis Blaydes. Almeida bounced back from that defeat in June when he made quick work of Alexandr Romanov.

Spivac (17-4 MMA, 8-4 UFC) has won four of his most recent five bouts, including a slick 74-second armbar submission of Marcin Tybura in August. His only loss in the stretch came from a TKO against Ciryl Gane.

With the addition, the UFC lineup for Jan. 18 includes:

  • Jailton Almeida vs. Serghei Spivac

USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings, Aug. 13: Serghei Spivac moves up

Check out the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings following UFC on ESPN 61 in Las Vegas.

Following UFC on ESPN 61, the USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings required updating.

In the main event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Serghei Spivac got one back on Marcin Tybura, winning their heavyweight remach by submission in the first round.

Entering the week at No. 9 in the heavyweight rankings, Spivac switches spots with Tybura, who came in at No. 8.

Check out all the latest pound-for-pound and divisional USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings above.

Serghei Spivac explains why he refused callout after UFC on ESPN 61 win

Michael Bisping and Charly Arnolt tried to get a UFC callout from Serghei Spivac… and failed.

LAS VEGAS – You can ask him a million times, but you’re unlikely to get an answer.

Simply put, [autotag]Serghei Spivac[/autotag] has no interest in calling anyone out – even after what was widely regarded as one of his biggest wins to date Saturday, when he submitted Marcin Tybura in the UFC on ESPN 61 main event.

“When people ask me what’s next, it’s very hard to say because a lot of things can change in the heavyweight division really quickly,” Spivac said through an interpreter at the post-fight news conference. “So it’s really good for me when the UFC says who is next, as opposed to having to choose. I understand the (events) happen every single Saturday, every single week, so I’ll wait and I’ll see. We’ll see what’s next.”

While no name-drops surfaced from Spivac’s lips, a potential next opponent, Jailton Almeida, called for him Saturday. Spivac elected not to engage in-depth with Almeida, but issued a simple demand.

“Let him train,” Spivac said.

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Spivac revealed that he suffered an injury in training camp for the fight and nearly pulled out, though he declined to detail what exactly that injury was. Between whatever residual healing remains and the impending birth of a new addition to his family, Spivac said he’s not totally sure about his timeline, though the end of 2024 does sound appealing.

“End of the year would be great,” Spivac said. “I would come out at the end of the year. As long as I stay healthy, I will fight at the end of the year.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 61.

Jailton Almeida calls out Serghei Spivac after quick UFC on ESPN 61 finish: ‘We can fight soon!’

Serghei Spivac didn’t want to call out anyone after UFC on ESPN 61, but that didn’t stop one of his peers from calling his name.

Although he was repeatedly asked to call out his next opponent after UFC on ESPN 61, Serghei Spivac did not want to mention anyone by name. Jailton Almeida did it for him, though.

In the main event of UFC on ESPN 61 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Spivac (17-4 MMA, 8-4 UFC) made quick work of Marcin Tybura, submitting him in under two minutes to avenge a prior loss.

During his post-fight interview, Spivac left his next pairing up to the matchmakers. Entering the fight at No. 9 in the promotion’s heavyweight rankings, Spivac refused to call out anyone specifically but did mention he wanted someone ranked above him.

That’s when No. 7 Almeida (21-3 MMA, 7-1 UFC) made it known he wanted to share the cage with Spivac next.

“Spivak, do you want someone above you in the rankings?” Almeida wrote on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. “Im here!! #7 vs #8. I want to fight Bro! Happy you get the finish early, so, we can fight soon!”

Speaking with reporters during a post-fight news conference, Spivac offered a short and simple reply to the callout.

“Let him train,” Spivac said.

Almeida is coming off a first-round submission victory as well. At UFC 302 in June, he quickly finished Alexandr Romanov with a rear-naked choke just 2:27 into their preliminary card bout.

Spivac and Almeida responded well in their last outings, bouncing back from losses to Ciryl Gane and Curtis Blaydes, respectively. The closely ranked fighters could find themselves sharing the cage with each other next.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 61.

UFC on ESPN 61 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Event yields second-lowest total of 2024

UFC on ESPN 61 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that continued after the UFC’s deal with Venum.

LAS VEGAS – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 61 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $128,000.

The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.

UFC on ESPN 61 took place at the UFC Apex. The card aired on ESPN and streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC on ESPN 61 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Serghei Spivac[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Marcin Tybura[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Chepe Mariscal[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Damon Jackson[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Danny Barlow[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Nikolay Veretennikov[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Chris Gutierrez[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Quang Le[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Yana Santos[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Chelsea Chandler[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Toshiomi Kazama[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Charalampos Grigoriou[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Karol Rosa[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Pannie Kianzad[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Jhonata Diniz[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Karl Williams[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Youssef Zalal[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Jarno Errens[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Stephanie Luciano[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Talita Alencar[/autotag]: $4,000

Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Venum’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2011 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $4,000 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,610; 6-10 bouts get $6,000; 11-15 bouts earn $11,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $16,000; and 21 bouts and more get $21,000. Additionally, champions earn $32,000 while title challengers get $42,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-61 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2024 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $4,914,500
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $27,651,500

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 61.

UFC on ESPN 61 video: Hear from each winner, guest fighters backstage

Check out what the UFC on ESPN 61 winners and guest fighters had to say backstage at Saturday’s event in Las Vegas.

LAS VEGAS – UFC on ESPN 61 took place Saturday with 10 bouts on the lineup. We’ve got you covered with backstage winner interviews from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

You can hear from all the UFC on ESPN 61 winners by checking out their post-fight news conferences below.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 61.

UFC on ESPN 61 results: Serghei Spivac surprises Marcin Tybura with first heavyweight armbar in four years

Serghei Spivac evened the score against Marcin Tybura with the first UFC heavyweight armbar in four years.

In a night filled with lackadaisical fights, [autotag]Serghei Spivac[/autotag] ended UFC on ESPN 61 with an energizing finish.

Early in Saturday’s main event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Spivac (17-4 MMA, 8-4 UFC) exploded off his back to snatch an armbar and tap Marcin Tybura (25-9 MMA, 12-8 UFC) at 1:44 of Round 1.

The armbar was the first in UFC heavyweight history since July 25, 2020, when Fabricio Werdum submitted Alexander Gustafsson. Spivac was able to pull it off from off his back in a matter of seconds, surprising Tybura, who quickly tapped.

The win avenged a February 2020 result when Spivac lost a unanimous decision to Tybura. The victory bounces Spivac back into the win column after a September TKO defeat to Ciryl Gane.

Spivac, 29,  moves to 4-1 in his most recent five.

Tybura, 38, has lost two of his most recent three.

Full UFC on ESPN 61 results

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 61.

UFC on ESPN 61: Marcin Tybura vs. Serghei Spivac odds, picks and predictions

Analyzing Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 61 odds between Marcin Tybura vs. Serghei Spivac, with MMA picks and predictions.

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In a 5-round heavyweight bout in the main event, Marcin Tybura and Serghei Spivac meet Saturday at UFC on ESPN 61 — also known as UFC Vegas 95 — at the UFC APEX. Let’s analyze FanDuel Sportsbook’s lines around the UFC on ESPN 61: Tybura vs. Spivac odds, and make our expert picks and predictions.

The prelims begin 5 p.m. ET on ESPN/ESPN+, while the main card starts at 7 p.m. ET, also on ESPN/ESPN+.

Records: Tybura (25-8-0) | Spivac (16-4-0)

Tybura suffered a 1st-round KO/TKO loss to Tom Aspinall in the main event in a Fight Night July 22, 2023. He rebounded in the main event against Tai Tuivasa in a 1st-round submission win March 16. Tybura has managed 4 stoppages in the past 7 fights, although he has gone the distance 6 times in the past 10 outings.

This is actually the 2nd meeting at the UFC level between these fighters. Tybura picked up a unanimous-decision victory Feb. 29, 2020.

Spivac, aka the Polar Bear, is looking for the bounceback after getting knocked out in Round 2 by Ciryl Gane in a main event Sept. 2, 2023. That comes on the heels of a Round 1 submission in a main event Feb. 4, 2023. Each of his past 5 fights have finished inside the distance.

The 38-year-old Tybura has an ever-so-slight 3.60-to-3.54 significant strikes landed per minute advantage, while Spivac has a 62.06% significant strikes accuracy percentage. Spivac also has an impressive 4.56 takedown average while posting a 64.29% takedown accuracy percentage and 0.51 submission average.

Watch this card with ESPN+ by signing up here.

UFC on ESPN 61: Tybura vs. Spivac odds

Provided by FanDuel Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 10:51 a.m. ET.

  • Fight result (2-way line): Tybura +132 (bet $100 to win $132) | Spivac -156 (bet $156 to win $100)
  • Over/Under: 3.5 rounds (Over -102 | Under -124)
  • Will the fight go the distance? (Yes +162 | No -215)

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UFC on ESPN 61: Tybura vs. Spivac picks and predictions

Fight result (2-way line or moneyline)

SPIVAC (-156) is a strong play as a moderate favorite in this rematch.

Tybura (+132) won the 1st meeting back in Feb. 2020, but that’s over 4 years ago, and now Tybura is in his upper 30s with a lot of tread on the tires.

Spivac will be trying to get Tybura to the mat early and often, as he is the far more superior grappler.

SPIVAC BY KO/TKO (+195) is worth a look in the “Method of Victory”, as 4 of his past 5 fights have ended via knockout, with 2 wins and 2 losses by way of the method.

Over/Under (O/U)

UNDER 3.5 ROUNDS (-124) is worth a play. Neither of these fighters have been distance fighters, especially lately.

Each of the past 5 fights for Spivac have finished inside the distance, and 3 of the bouts in the span haven’t made it out of Round 1.

For Tybura, each of his past 2 bouts have also ended in Round 1, although 3 of the past 5 fights have gone the distance, so don’t get too carried away.

However, playing No (-215): Will the fight go the distance? is a little on the expensive side, so PASS on that.

Visit MMA Junkie for more fight news and analysis.

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For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.

Follow Kevin J. Erickson on Twitter/X. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter/X and us on Facebook.

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UFC free fight: Serghei Spivac ends Greg Hardy’s UFC career with TKO finish

Watch Serghei Spivac put an end to former NFL star Greg Hardy’s UFC career with a TKO finish back in 2022.

[autotag]Serghei Spivac[/autotag] sent former NFL star [autotag]Greg Hardy[/autotag] packing in dominant fashion.

Back at UFC 272 in 2022, Spivac quickly stopped Hardy after taking him down and hammering him out with ground-and-pound to secure a first-round TKO win. This ended as Hardy’s final fight in the UFC, as his contract was not renewed. Spivac stopped Augusto Sakai and Derrick Lewis before losing to Ciryl Gane in his most recent outing in September 2023.

You can watch Spivac’s dominant win over Hardy in the video above.

Spivac (16-4 MMA, 7-4 UFC) returns to the cage in the main event of UFC on ESPN 61, which takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. He takes on Marcin Tybura (25-8 MMA, 12-7 UFC) in a rematch that stems from 2020.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 61.

UFC on ESPN 61 video: Marcin Tybura, Serghei Spivac make weight in Las Vegas

The main event for the UFC’s latest home show is official after the headliners made weight Friday.

LAS VEGAS – The main event for the UFC’s latest home show is official after the headliners made weight Friday.

Ahead of UFC on ESPN 61 (ESPN/ESPN+), which takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex, heavyweights [autotag]Marcin Tybura[/autotag] (25-8 MMA, 12-7 UFC) and [autotag]Serghei Spivac[/autotag] (16-4 MMA, 7-4 UFC) stepped on the scale at the official weigh-ins.

Check out the video from their trips to the scale above.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 61.