Sergey Spivak Mauls Derrick Lewis in UFC Fight Night 218 Headliner

SERGHEI SPIVAC SUBMITS LEWIS IN ROUND 1 🗜 #UFCVegas68 pic.twitter.com/qSlnn4mnBv

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) February 5, 2023

Sergey Spivak was completely dominant in his first UFC main event.

The Moldovan ragdolled former heavyweight title challenger Derrick Lewis all over the Octagon at UFC Fight Night 218 before locking in an arm-triangle choke for a submission victory at the 3:05 mark of the opening stanza. Spivak (16-3, 7-3 UFC) has won three straight fights and six of his last seven UFC appearances overall.

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Lewis (26-11, 1 NC, 17-9 UFC) never had a chance to get going. Spivak executed a hip toss within the bout’s first 30 seconds, and the rout was on from there. “The Polar Bear” slammed a helpless Lewis to the mat repeatedly while punishing his foe with ground-and-pound from mount. Finally, after slamming Lewis to the canvas one last time, Spivak deftly transitioned to the fight-ending maneuver to mercifully bring an end to the contest.

Lewis has lost four of his last five UFC outings — with all of those defeats coming inside the distance.

Clark Outlasts Jung

Ex-Resurrection Fighting Alliance title holder Devin Clark took a hard-fought unanimous decision triumph over Korean Top Team member Da Woon Jung in the evening’s light heavyweight co-main event. All three judges submitted 30-27 scorecards in the Sioux Falls, S.D., native.

Much of the bout was contested in close quarters, as both combatants attempted to impose their will in the clinch and through takedown attempts. Ultimately, a determined Clark (14-7, 8-7 UFC) managed to put a more lasting stamp on a grueling fight. Clark blended striking and takedowns effectively, doing some of his best work with a barrage of punches and elbows on the canvas late in Round 1. He also enjoyed success at range, tagging Jung (15-4-1, 4-2-1 UFC) with straight punches and the occasional kick. Jung had his moments as well, including several slashing elbows in the clinch and takedown of his own early in Round 3, but he couldn’t do enough with the position to turn the tide in his favor.

Tybura Wears Down Ivanov

Marcin Tybura continued his upward trajectory in the UFC’s heavyweight division, as he outworked ex-World Series of Fighting champion Blagoy Ivanov for a unanimous decision triumph. All three cageside judges submitted tallies in favor of Tybura: 30-27, 29-28, 29-28. The former M-1 Global title holder has been victorious in seven of his last eight UFC appearances.

For the first 10 minutes,Tybura (24-7, 11-6 UFC) mixed up his attacks, landing jabs to the head and kicks to the body on his durable opponent. Ivanov (19-5, 1 NC, 3-4 UFC) was more than game, and he flashed his handspeed on multiple occasions by countering with swift punching combinations. Tybura did some of his best work in Round 3, when he shifted gears and took Ivanov to the canvas early in the period. The Pole then spent the rest of the stanza grinding away from top position, making a frustrated Ivanov carry his weight to clinch his latest victory.

Choi, Nelson Battle to Majority Draw

A late point deduction cost Doo Ho Choi dearly in his first bout in more than three years, as he battled Kyle Nelson to a majority draw in their three-round featherweight clash. Judge Adelaide Byrd saw it 29-27 for “The Korean Superboy,” while Chris Lee and Eric Colon submitted 28-28 tallies. The key moment of the fight occurred in Round 3, when referee Chris Tognoni penalized Choi for an accidental headbutt on his opponent.

Choi (14-4-1, 3-3-1) ran out to an early lead after two rounds thanks to chopping leg kicks, solid right hands and sturdy defensive wrestling. Nelson (13-5-1, 1-4-1 UFC) did his best to make it a grinding affair, and while he secured multiple takedowns, he didn’t land much in the way of offense once he grounded his South Korean adversary. Choi ended the fight defending a Nelson shot while landing hard shots to the ribs, but those efforts couldn’t quite undo the damage he had done with the foul.

Fugitt Elbows Batter Kinoshita

Adam Fugitt secured his first UFC triumph with a largely dominant performance against former Dana White’s Contender Series competitor Yusaku Kinoshita in a welterweight clash. Fugitt (9-3, 1-1 UFC) ended the contest with a series of powerful elbows from mount 4:36 into the first round.

After absorbing a head kick early, Fugitt asserted himself through takedowns and clinch work. The Art of War MMA representative set the stage for the finishing sequence when he sat Kinoshita (6-2, 0-1 UFC) down with a left hand. He then followed his adversary to the fence, powered him to the canvas and transitioned to mount, where he was able to put Kinoshita away with the aforementioned elbows.

Jubli Overwhelms Saragih

Tiger Muay Thai product Anshul Jubli imposed his will on Indonesia’s Jeka Asparido Saragih en route to technical knockout victory in a Road to UFC lightweight final. A barrage of ground-and-pound from Jubli (7-0, 1-0 UFC) forced referee Marc Goddard to step in on Saragih’s behalf at the 3:44 mark of Round 2.

Saragih (13-3, 0-1 UFC) enjoyed some early success landing hard leg kicks, but it wasn’t long before Jubli closed the distance and grounded his opponent, where he passed to full mount and threatened with an arm-triangle choke. That theme continued in Round 2, when Saragih was taken down quickly after landing a head kick during an early exchange. It was all Jubli from that point on, as he advanced from one dominant position to another while using wrist control to create openings for offense from above. Eventually, Jubli’s salvo of elbows and punches overwhelmed his fatigued foe.

Lee Edges Yi

Jeong Yeong Lee survived a grueling battle with Zha Yi to capture a split-decision triumph in a Road to UFC featherweight final. Judges Junichiro Kamijo and David Lethaby submitted 29-28 tallies for “The Korean Tiger,” while Jacob Montalvo saw the fight 30-27 in favor of Yi (22-4, 0-1 UFC).

After finishing his first two Road to UFC opponents in a combined 78 seconds, Lee (10-1, 1-0 UFC) encountered much more resistance from Yi. The Chinese fighter put Lee on the defensive by applying constant pressure, shooting for multiple takedowns and pressing his adversary into the cage repeatedly. That grinding approach limited Lee’s offense, but the former Road FC champion found enough openings at range to land the strikes of consequence, which ultimately proved to be the difference on the scorecards.

Nakamura Lamps Kazama

Rinya Nakamura announced his presence to the promotion in emphatic fashion with a vicious knockout of Toshiomi Kazama in a Road to UFC bantamweight final. A perfectly placed counter left hand to the chin removed Kazma (10-3, 0-1 UFC) from consciousness, and Nakamura (7-0, 1-0 UFC) added one follow-up punch on the canvas to seal his victory just 33 seconds into Round 1. The Saitama, Japan, native finished all three of his Road to UFC foes inside of a round.

Nakamura’s intentions were clear from the opening bell. He rushed forward and forced Kazama to engage in a brawl, sitting his foe down with a right hook during an initial exchange. Nakamura continued to swing heavy leather when his adversary returned to his feet, and he ultimately found the mark with the decisive blow shortly thereafter.

Park Rallies, Submits Choi

Hyun Sung Park shook off a slow start and rallied to submit “Korean Zombie” protege Seung Guk Choi in a Road to UFC flyweight final. Park (8-0, 1-0 UFC) brought the show to a close with a rear-naked choke 3:11 into the third frame. Park has finished his last seven opponents.

Choi (6-2, 0-1 UFC) started strong, as he countered several of his opponent’s kicks with heavy right hands, powering Park to the floor in the process on a couple occasions. Over time, however, Park gradually took control. He worked behind a solid jab and whipping low kicks in Round 2 before a solid knee to the midsection allowed him to jump on Choi’s back in the third stanza. From there, Park threatened with a rear-naked choke, forcing Choi to fall to the canvas. The tap came moments later.

’The Iron Turtle’ Chokes Out Tiuliulin

Jung Yong Park earned his third consecutive Octagon triumph, as he choked out Denis Tiuliulin in the opening stanza of their middleweight encounter. “The Iron Turtle” rendered his opponent unconscious with a rear-naked choke at the 4:05 mark of the period — his second consecutive submission triumph.

Park (16-5, 6-2 UFC) wasted little time in closing the distance and tripping Tiuliulin (10-7, 1-2 UFC) to the canvas, where he landed in full mount. Tiuliulin appeared to be a fish out of water on his back, and Park methodically worked to create openings to land purposeful ground-and-pound. The South Korean cut his opponent open with a slashing elbow before forcing Tiuliulin to give up his back with a series of heavy elbows and and punches from above. Once there, Park was able to secure with rear-naked choke with little resistance.

Prospect Taira Armbars Aguilar

Japanese prospect Tatsuro Taira kept his undefeated record intact with a quick submission of Dana White’s Contender Series alum Jesus Santos Aguilar in a flyweight affair. The Paraestra Okinawa export elicited a verbal tap from his opponent with a triangle armbar at the 4:20 mark of Round 1.

Aguilar (8-2, 0-1 UFC) was aggressive at the outset, as he pressured Taira (13-0, 3-0 UFC) and spent the better part of two minutes threatening with a guillotine from his back. Taira ultimately survived the predicament, popped his head free and passed to full mount. From there, the former Shooto champion locked in a triangle and rolled to his back before transitioning to a belly-down armbar to force the stoppage.