The UFC really seems to have dedicated itself to finding more big fighters over the past year or two. What was once a division slowly whittling itself away to nothing is, at the very least, now a reasonably healthy group of fighters, injected with a solid amount of new talent trying to carve out a name for themselves. Fans may not have seen too many of the results up at the top in terms of title contenders, but the first step to building title contenders is signing new fighters. On that note, Bloody Elbow has learned via the fighter's manager, that Marcin Tybura, one of the world's best heavyweight prospects, has just signed a contract with the UFC. The deal has yet to be officially announced by the promotion, and no debut date or opponent have been named, but it's still exciting news for fans looking for more heavyweight fights. So...

Who is Marcin Tybura?

"Tybur" is a 30-year-old Polish fighter working out of S4 Fight Club alongside Daniel Omielanczuk, Jan Blachowicz, and Mariusz Pudzianowski among others. He's coming to the UFC with a record of 13-1, and it's essentially as good as regional records get. Especially at heavyweight, Tybura is one of the rare guys that's come up like a prospect in MMA's more talent rich divisions. Since moving to M-1 back in 2013, Tybura has wins over prospects like Denis Smoldarev and Ante Delija and seasoned vets like current UFC fighter Damian Grabowski, Maro Perak, and Konstantin Gluhov. He won the M-1 HW title back in 2014, and defended it twice before vacating the belt. His only loss came in a superfight, between title defenses, to (now former) M-1 light heavyweight champ Stephan Puetz via injury. Outside MMA, Tybura is a seasoned grappler and a BJJ brown belt, having found success on the European competition circuit.

What you should expect:

Probably the best way to describe Tybura's striking is "functional." He moves lightly for a big guy (at 6' 3" 250 lbs), and most of his work on the feet is centered around quick leg kicks and big looping hooks. When he really sets his mind to it, he can rattle off some decent, basic kickboxing combos, and he is decent enough defensively at range (although overly reliant on having a great chin). But the goal is always the same, get the clinch, get the body lock, get the takedown. His wrestling game is basic, and owes more to BJJ than freestyle techniques, but he has a unrelenting trip and drag game. He works well from the bodylock to get quick trip takedowns and will drop immediately to a single leg if he encounters resistance. From there, he does well to run the pipe, change angles, and drive through singles. A lot of the little things that get takedowns done in high level MMA.

Once on top, Tybura is very much a smothering force. He picks away at opponents with small shots, often content to work in guard, but does a surprisingly good job scrambling to advantageous control positions like back mount, if his opponent gives him the opportunity. In general, whatever position he's in, Tybura is very good at maintaining control and forcing opponents to work and fight against him for long stretches on the ground. He's a fighter the wears his opponents out, and then finds the submission or TKO.

To get us better acquainted, here's his recent fight with Stephan Puetz (which Tybura lost via cut stoppage):