Tai Tuivasa vs. Marcin Tybura odds: Who is favored to win the heavyweight clash?

Tai Tuivasa vs. Marcin Tybura is set to headline the upcoming UFC Fight Night 239 card, which takes place on March 16 at the Apex Centre in Las Vegas.

Heading into the bout, Tuivasa is looking to end a streak of three back-to-back defeats after recently recovering from a meniscur tear. He had previously won five fights in a row between 2020-2022, but was halted after a defeat to Ciryl Gane at UFC Fight Night 209, which earned both men a Fight of the Night bonus.

His opponent, Tybura, is also hoping to get back in the win column after he suffered a first round TKO defeat to Tom Aspinall in July last year. The Polishman had previously gone 7-1 in his last eight outings before facing Aspinall, and is hoping a victory once again pushes him up the rankings towards a title shot.

With both heavyweights in need of a victory, the latest betting odds suggest it will be a close affair.

Per DraftKings Sportsbook, 'Bam Bam' is the slight favorite heading into the fight with a -125 moneyline. This is likely due to his finishing capabilities, as 13 of his 14 professional victories have come via KO/TKO.

In comparison, Tybura is narrowly the underdog at +105, which could well be due to his last finish in the octagon coming in 2021.

More detailed betting options are expected to be available closer to the fight, such as method of victory and round by round action.

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When Tai Tuivasa couldn't stop smiling after video message from Jorge Masvidal

During an interview with Nina-Marie Daniele last year, Tai Tuivasa was surprised with a video message of support from one of his favorite fighters, Jorge Masvidal.

During the video, 'Gamebred' noted that he was at the UFC Fight Night: Werdum vs. Tybura event in 2017 when Tuivasa made his debut against Rashad Coulter. 'Bam Bam' went on the win via a flying knee KO in the first round. Masvidal said:

"Just remember I been watching you [Tai Tuivasa] since your first fight in the UFC when you knocked that motherf****r out with a flying knee. I was there live. Motherf****r it’s time for you to do it again. Go out there and put it all on the line, all that swag, put all that f****n’ toughness that you have on the line. "

The Australian couldn't hide his smile whilst watching the video and thanked Daniele for making it happen. Tai Tuivasa said:

“My man just woke up. I love Jorge, yeah. [It’s cool, right?] Very cool. Thank you.”

Catch the segment on Nina Marie Daniele's YouTube channel here [4:40]: