UFC Vegas 17 Preview: Greg Hardy – Marcin Tybura

Oct 18, 2019; Boston, MA, USA; Greg Hardy (red) reacts before a fight with Ben Sosoli (blue) in a heavyweight bout during UFC Fight Night at the TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

Tomorrow night there’s an intriguing heavyweight clash at UFC Vegas 17. That heavyweight clash features former All-Pro defensive lineman, Greg Hardy (7-2, 1 NC), taking on the surging Marcin Tybura (20-6).

Both of these fighters will be looking to break into the UFC‘s top 15 at heavyweight with a win tomorrow night. It’s been an interesting ride for Greg Hardy so far in his UFC career.

Hardy was awarded a developmental deal with the UFC after winning his first two pro fights on Dana White’s Contender Series. After getting another first round knockout in XFN, Hardy got the call to the big show.

Hardy lost in his first pro fight after he was disqualified for throwing an illegal knee. After that fight he won two straight by knockout. He then defeated Ben Sosoli by decision, but the fight was turned to a No Contest after Hardy used an inhaler.

Hardy stepped in last minute to face Alexander Volkov in his first UFC main event after that where he lost. Since then, he defeated Yorgan De Castro by decision and he’s knocked out Maurice Greene.

Standing across from Hardy is Marcin Tybura. The former M-1 Heavyweight champion has won three-fights in a row leading into UFC Vegas 17. After entering the promotion with only one loss, Tybura has gone 7-5 in the UFC.

UFC Vegas 17 Prediction

The heavyweight battle at UFC Vegas 17 is going to go one of two ways in my opinion. Either Hardy is going to get another first round knockout or Tybura is going to grind out another decision victory.

Tybura is the type of fighter who is just going to bull forward and push you against the fence. From there, he does a good job of using dirty boxing and clinch strikes to wear out his opponents.

We’ve seen Hardy’s gas tank look a little dicey at times in his UFC career. Tybura has been finished before and you can bet Hardy can finish him if he connects. However, that’s a big if.

Hardy is going to have to be patient and look for big shots as Tybura is coming in. I don’t see Hardy’s power translating well over a three round grinding fight. If he’s going to get it done, he has to do it early.

Unfortunately for Greg Hardy, I’m not sure he’s going to be able to do it. He can easily put Tybura away, but something tells me we are going to see Tybura using his superior clinch game tomorrow night to get a decision.

Prediction: Marcin Tybura by Unanimous Decision