Midnight Mania! Marcin Tybura will serve as backup fighter for UFC London main event

Welcome to Midnight Mania!

The main event clash between Tom Aspinall and Alexander Volkov scheduled for this weekend (March 19, 2022) in London, England is at risk. Though it’s hardly the most important consequence, the recent Russian invasion of Ukraine has notably impacted the combat sports world and Russian athletes in general. Notably, visas are getting far more difficult to come by for Russian fighters, which could impact Volkov.

To be clear, Volkov’s visa was issued previous to the conflict, and he’s already in London. Nevertheless, it remains unclear if he will actually be allowed to compete.

“I had my doubts that this fight wouldn’t take place, especially last week, but it really wasn’t in my hands,” Aspinall said. “When the BBBoC [British Board of Boxing Control] banned all Russians from fighting in the UK, I was like, ‘oh s—t, here we go’, but thankfully, so far so good. It was difficult not to know about Volkov. You can lose your *** or just focus on yourself, there were days when I almost lost my ***. Whether he can come or not, my reaction doesn’t change that. There’s still a backup that’s here in case anything changes at the last minute.”

It’s since been confirmed that Marcin Tybura is the backup fighter mentioned.

A longtime UFC vet, Tybura is currently the No. 9-ranked Heavyweight contender. His last bout actually came vs. Volkov, a highly competitive decision loss in October 2021. Prior to that bout, Tybura had won five fights in a row. Hopefully, his services won’t be needed, but Tybura was clearly the best nearby option in the event that Volkov is barred from competition.

LIVE! Stream UFC Vegas 91 On ESPN+

EXCITING MIDDLEWEIGHT MATCHUP! Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returns to its APEX venue in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Sat., April 6, 2024, with an action-packed, five-round main event featuring No. 7-seeded 185-pound contender, Brendan Allen, running it back with No. 14-ranked Chris Curtis. “Action Man” — who is filling in for the “freak” injured Marvin Vettori — scored an upset win over Allen back in 2021 (watch it). In UFC Vegas 90’s ESPN+-streamed co-main event, former Featherweight hopeful, Alexander Hernandez, looks to get back on track at the expense of dangerous Octagon veteran, Damon Jackson.

Don’t miss a single second of face-punching action!

• STREAM NOW

Insomnia

UFC is raking in the profits! How many of y’all reading hold a share or two of Endeavor?

Early prediction: Brendan Allen picks up another UFC finish.

Paulo Costa making the interesting choice of publicly showing support for ... Vladimir Putin?

Charles Oliveira vs. Justin Gaethje might just be a race to see who can kick the crap out of the other’s leg first, and I’m very here for it.

An 0-3 skid ended Sabina Mazo’s UFC run.

Underappreciated fact: Paul Craig is the only man to defeat Jamahal Hill and Magomed Ankalaev.

Nathaniel Wood is without any opponent this weekend, and Davey Grant has offered to jump in. MAKE IT HAPPEN!

Slips, rips, and KO clips

Martial arts or violent criminal act? Bare knuckle competition has really blurred the line in recent years.

FIGHT THE HANDS!

Parry away the lead hand, fire down the middle:

Random Land

A friendly whale!

Midnight Music: Alternative rock, 1993

Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.