No one understands the volatile nature of the Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight division any better at this point than Tai Tuivasa.
The Tuivasa-Tybura showdown and its resulting fallout for the heavyweight division is but one storyline to watch at UFC Fight Night 239. Here are three more:
Late in the Game
Ovince St. Preux has given blood, sweat and tears to the sport over the course of his 15-plus years as a professional mixed martial artist. Now 40 and with 43 fights worth of mileage on the odometer, he can probably see the light at the end of the tunnel. St. Preux draws his 27th assignment inside the Octagon when he confronts Kennedy Nzechukwu in a three-round light heavyweight showcase. “OSP” has lost seven of his past 11 bouts, including a 49-second knockout loss to former Professional Fighters League champion Philipe Lins in his most recent outing at UFC Fight Night 219 a little more than a year ago. The 6-foot-5 Nzechukwu—he of the 83-inch reach—poses plenty of problems, especially from a physical standpoint. A two-time Dana White’s Contender Series, the “American Savage” last suited up on Aug. 5, when he succumbed to first-round punches from Dustin Jacoby at UFC on ESPN 50. The setback closed the book on Nzechukwu’s three-fight winning streak. Can St. Preux hold off Father Time once more?
Familiar Faces
Top 10-ranked women’s bantamweights are booked opposite one another as part of the main draw, as Macy Chiasson faces Pannie Kianzad in a rematch of “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 28 final. Chiasson subdued the former Cage Warriors Fighting Championship titleholder with a rear-naked choke in the first round of their November 2018 pairing, thus securing the coveted “six-figure contract.” The Fortis MMA export boasts a 6-3 record across her nine appearances in the UFC, her tenure highlighted by victories over Sarah Moras, Marion Reneau and Norma Dumont. Chiasson has not fought since being felled by an Irene Aldana upkick to the body at UFC 279 on Sept. 10, 2022. She has never suffered back-to-back defeats. Kianzad, meanwhile, operates out of the Arte Suave outfit in Copenhagen, Denmark, where longtime coach Nikolai Koubti oversees her training. The 34-year-old Iranian-born Swede last competed on July 22, when she wound up on the wrong side of a unanimous decision against Ketlen Vieira at UFC Fight Night 224. Kianzad’s past nine fights have all gone the distance. Will Chiasson have enough tricks up her sleeve to make sure history repeats itself?
Youth Movement
Isaac Dulgarian has the look of a potential star in the featherweight division. The undefeated Factory X prospect draws perhaps his toughest test to date when he does battle with Christian Rodriguez in a featured attraction at 145 pounds. Dulgarian, 27, has stopped all six of his opponents inside one round. He made his promotional debut at UFC on ESPN 51, where he turned away Francis Marshall with punches and elbows 4:48 into their Aug. 12 encounter. A decorated amateur wrestler, Dulgarian was a national finalist as a true freshman at Notre Dame College in Euclid, Ohio, before he transferred to the University of Nebraska at Kearney and eventually chose to pursue MMA. Rodriguez has built some hype of his own. The Roufusport standout has rattled off consecutive victories over Joshua Weems, Raul Rosas Jr. and Cameron Saaiman since his unanimous decision loss to Jonathan Pearce at UFC Fight Night 201 in February 2022. Seven of Rodriguez’s 10 career wins have resulted in finishes. Is this where Dulgarian begins his metamorphosis from blue-chip talent to possible contender?