UFC Fight Night main card preview & best bets – Saturday 4/2/23

The main card for UFC Fight Night: Lewis v Spivac has an international flavour with fighters from Poland, Japan, South Korea, and Romania set to take the stage. Korean fight fans will be excited by the return of Choi Doo-ho, who looked like a world beater in his early career. Upcoming Japanese prospect Yusaku Kinoshita is another athlete who appears to have all the skills and, at just 22 years of age, might be a potential star of the future.

Jung Da-un (15-3-1) v Devin Clark (13-7-0)

Jung Da-un (-250) is a tall, rangy Korean fighter who has only lost one fight from his last 16 trips to the ring. Unfortunately, the loss came via knockout at his most recent outing against Dustin Jacoby, but we can forgive this single blemish given Jacoby’s strong pedigree. Jung has taken six months to recover from the KO and should be primed to return to his previous winning ways. He carries a four-inch height and three-inch reach advantage into this contest, and we are keen on his chances.

Devin Clark (+205) has endured a rough two year stretch with two wins and three losses since June 2020. Clark has tangled with some highly ranked opponents during this period including losses Anthony Smith and Ion Cutelaba. Clark has a strong wrestling game but only has one UFC knockout to his name across five years on the roster. We can expect Clark will be looking to take the taller Jung to the mat here and avoid superior striking of the Korean. If the takedowns fail to materialise, it might be a rough night for the American.

Marcin Tybura (23-7-0) v Blagoy Ivanov (19-4-0)

Marcin Tybura (-138.89) is a hard-hitting Polish heavyweight who boasts a win over Serghei Spivac, who headlines this card. He has won six of his last seven fights since February 2020, the loss coming to Alexander Volkov via decision. Tybura earned performance of the night bonuses with recent knockout victories over Walt Harris and Greg Hardy and might have too much punching power for his next opponent. He also possesses a solid gas tank and knows how to grind out a points win if the knockout is not readily available.

Blagoy Ivanov (+115) does not look like much of an athlete, but the Romanian has sprung some upsets during his MMA career including wins over Tai Tuivasa and Ben Rothwell. The Romanian face a hefty height and reach disadvantage in this match-up and will need to close the distance if he hopes to find Tybura’s chin. A Sambo background gives Ivanov a solid grappling game, which might come in handy if the stand-up battle is not going his way. His early record contains six wins via submission, and this might be his best path to victory.

Choi Doo-ho(14-3-0) v Kyle Nelson (13-5-0)

After hitting the UFC in 2014 with a blaze of glory by recording three straight knockout wins, Choi Doo-ho (-192.31) now finds himself on the other side of the ledger staring at three straight losses. Choi has taken three years away from the fight game to relearn his craft and put the pieces of his career back together. Those that believe in ring rust will be watching this fight with interest to see if the Korean can instantly measure back up to professional standards following such a lengthy break. At his best, Choi has amazing footwork and throws accurate straight punches with knockout power.

Kyle Nelson (+155) has endured a disastrous four-year run yielding a single win and four losses. The Canadian is on thin ice and must find a victory to keep his career alive. He holds a brown belt in BJJ and has shown submission skills throughout his early years as a professional, so a ground heavy approach might be his best bet as an underdog here. Nelson holds a slight height and reach advantage, but Choi appears to be the more gifted athlete thus negating this asset.

Yusaku Kinoshita (6-1-0) v Adam Fugitt (8-3-0)

Yusaku Kinoshita (-333.33) enters the UFC following an impressive knockout win on Dana White’s Contender Series. The Japanese native has a single loss on his record, a disqualification for grabbing the fence at a Rizin event, a bizarre way to lose. While still an unknown prospect, Kinoshita looks a ready-made fighter with plenty of athletic talent. His six professional victories all come via stoppage, and the 22-year-old might have a bright future.

Adam Fugitt (+250) is another unknown entity with a single UFC appearance to his name. That contest ended with Fugitt getting stopped in the third round, so the American will be keen to rebound and show his skills. He is 12 years older than his opponent and should have an experience advantage over the relative rookie opposite. He looks handy on the mat and might go searching for grappling exchanges to avoid the superior punching power of Kinoshita.

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