Rivalries: Sergey Spivak

Sergey Spivak has quietly snuck into the Top 10 rankings in the Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight division. Now, the real work starts.

The 28-year-old Moldovan will attempt to accelerate his rise when he toes the line against former interim champion Ciryl Gane in the UFC Fight Night 226 headliner on Saturday at Accor Arena in Paris. Spivak steps into the Octagon with the wind of a three-fight winning streak in his sails. He has compiled a 7-3 record across his 10 appearances in the UFC, with five of those seven victories having resulted in finishes.

As Spivak closes in on his marquee matchup with Gane, a look at a few of the rivalries that have helped shape his career to this point:

Tai Tuivasa

Spivak rebounded from his first professional setback—a 50-second technical knockout loss to Walt Harris—and did so in hostile territory when he choked Tai Tuivasa unconscious with an arm-triangle in the second round of their UFC 243 heavyweight showcase on Oct. 5, 2019 at Docklands Stadium in Melbourne, Australia. Tuivasa blacked out before a crowd of his fellow countrymen 3:14 into Round 2. Spivak controlled much of the fight with his takedowns and positional control, routinely grounding the former Australian Fighting Championship titleholder. In the second round, the Moldovan secured another takedown, dropped elbows and opened a cut on Tuivasa’s right eyelid. From there, Spivak set the choke, cleared the Aussie’s legs and tightened his squeeze until the job was done.

Marcin Tybura

The former M-1 Global champion rebounded from back-to-back losses to Shamil Abdurakhimov and Augusto Sakai when he took a unanimous decision from Spivak as part of the UFC Fight Night 169 undercard on Feb. 29, 2020 at Chartway Arena in Norfolk, Virginia. Scores were 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28—all for Tybura, who operated seamlessly in the shadows of the Joseph Benavidez-Deiveson Figueiredo main event. Spivak enjoyed success in the standup exchanges but spent the majority of his time on his back. Tybura struck for takedowns in all three rounds, shifted to advantageous positions and piled up points with punches and elbows, all while attempting to create openings for submissions. His bids to finish ultimately failed, but by the time it was over, the 6-foot-3, 250-pound Pole had outlanded Spivak by a 116-40 margin in total strikes and amassed more than eight minutes of control time.

Tom Aspinall

The burgeoning Team Kaobon star put away Spivak—a short-notice fill-in for Sergei Pavlovich—with a short-range elbow strike and follow-up punches in the first round of their UFC Fight Night 191 co-headliner on Sept. 4, 2021 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The end came 2:30 into Round 1. Aspinall kept the former World Warriors Fighting Championship titleholder off-balance with consistent feints and clever stance switches, leaned on his hand speed and hunted for openings. He connected with a knee to the body while exiting a clinch and followed it with the crushing elbow. Spivak retreated to the mat, only to be met with a burst of punches that brought about the stoppage. The defeat closed the book on the Moldovan’s three-fight winning streak.

Derrick Lewis

A resurgent Spivak subdued the former Legacy Fighting Championship titleholder with an arm-triangle choke in the first round of their UFC Fight Night 218 main event on Feb. 4, 2023 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Lewis surrendered 3:05 into Round 1. Spivak was dominant from the outset. “The Polar Bear” kept Lewis at bay with his jab, lured him into the clinch and executed a head-and-arm throw. From there, it was all one-way traffic. Lewis moved to a kneeling position, ate punches and briefly gave up full mount. Multiple mat returns from Spivak spoiled the New Orleans native’s attempts to stand and set aside his resolve. More ground-and-pound followed before the Moldovan caught the arm-triangle in transition. Lewis offered no resistance before electing to tap. With that, Spivak joined Daniel Cormier as the only men to tame “The Black Beast” via submission.