The matchup with Romanov is an interesting one, as both fighters are talented wrestlers and jiu jitsu players. At 16-0, Romanov has been steadily climbing the rankings with impressive finishes over Roque Martinez, Marcos Rogerio de Lima, Jared Vanderaa, and Chase Sherman. He currently sits at No. 13 in the world, just two spots below Tybura.
UFC 278 EMBEDDED: Episode 1 | Episode 2 | Episode 3 | Episode 4
Although Tybura is the higher-ranked fighter in the bout, the rankings have never driven Tybura’s decision making. What’s important to him is the opportunity to remove Romanov from ranks of the unbeaten and keep taking steps toward becoming the best fighter possible.
“The rankings can be crazy, and they really don’t say much. If you start to focus on rankings, it means you don’t belong here. There might be some fighters that say ‘no’ to lower-ranked opponents, but that’s not me. I’m here to fight,” Tybura said. “16-0 in MMA is something big so, for sure, he’s proved that he belongs here. Whenever I’m given a fight, I never say no. Whenever they offer, I agree.”
