Serghei Spivac armbar surprises Marcin Tybura

In a night filled with lackadaisical fights, Serghei Spivac ended UFC on ESPN 61 with an energizing finish.

Early in Saturday’s main event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Spivac (17-4 MMA, 8-4 UFC) exploded off his back to snatch an armbar and tap Marcin Tybura (25-9 MMA, 12-8 UFC) at 1:44 of Round 1.

The Polar Bear got it done quick 🐻‍❄️

Serghei Spivac submits Marcin Tybura in the first round! #UFCVegas95 pic.twitter.com/5OjMxm3T9y

— UFC (@ufc) August 11, 2024

The armbar was the first in UFC heavyweight history since July 25, 2020, when Fabricio Werdum submitted Alexander Gustafsson. Spivac was able to pull it off from off his back in a matter of seconds, surprising Tybura, who quickly tapped.

The win avenged a February 2020 result when Spivac lost a unanimous decision to Tybura. The victory bounces Spivac back into the win column after a September TKO defeat to Ciryl Gane.

Spivac, 29,  moves to 4-1 in his most recent five.

Tybura, 38, has lost two of his most recent three.

Full UFC on ESPN 61 results

• Serghei Spivac def. Marcin Tybura via submission (armbar) – Round 1, 1:44
• Chepe Mariscal def. Damon Jackson via unanimous decision (30-25, 30-26, 30-25)
• Danny Barlow def. Nikolay Veretennikov via split decision (29-28, 27-30, 29-28)
• Chris Gutierrez def. Quang Le via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Yana Santos def. Chelsea Chandler via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
• Toshiomi Kazama def. Charalampos Grigoriou via submission (triangle choke) – Round 2, 1:55
• Karol Rosa def. Pannie Kianzad via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Jhonata Diniz def. Karl Williams via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
• Youssef Zalal def. Jarno Errens via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 3:52
• Stephanie Luciano def. Talita Alencar via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 61.