Tai Tuivasa next fight: Heavyweight clash with Marcin Tybura set for UFC 298

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Tai Tuivasa
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Australian knockout artist Tai Tuivasa will return to the Octagon at UFC 298 on February 17 when he faces Poland's Marcin Tybura.

The bout, at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, will feature on the same card as the featherweight title bout between fellow Aussie Alex Volkanovski and challenger, Ilia Topuria.

Tuivasa is hoping to arrest a three-fight skid, having been stopped by Ciryl Gane, Sergei Pavlovich and Alexander Volkov in his most recent outings.

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It's not the first time the Sydneysider has dropped three on the trot in the UFC - he bounced back from that by going on a streak of five knockout victories to put himself one fight away from a title shot.

Tuivasa's last appearance ended in a submission loss to Volkov at UFC 293 in his hometown in September, taking his record to 14-6.

Who is Tai Tuivasa fighting?

In Tybura, Tuivasa has an opponent with plenty of UFC experience.

The 38-year-old has a 24-8 record and made his debut with the company in 2016.

Last time out, Tybura was knocked out in the first round against current interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall in July.

With nine wins by knockout, Tybura isn't regarded as one of the heavier hitters in the division and Tuivasa will fancy his chances if he can draw the veteran into a firefight.

While the full fight card isn't confirmed for UFC 298, the pair can expect to find themselves on the main pay-per-view card.

At the top of the billing is Volkanovski, who looks to record another defence of his 145-pound title, having most recently been unsuccessful when again moving up to lightweight for another shot at Islam Makhachev.

The UFC has been a regular visitor to Anaheim and the Honda Center, most recently witness Francis Ngannou's win over Gane at UFC 270 in January, 2022.

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Tom Naghten Photo

Tom Naghten is a senior editor for The Sporting News Australia.