LAS VEGAS – In need of a rebound after his three-fight streak was snapped this past September, Serghei Spivac has another big name in front of him Saturday.
Spivac (13-3 MMA, 4-3 UFC) was shut down with a TKO in just a half-round against Tom Aspinall in his most recent fight. Now he’s set to take on Greg Hardy (7-4 MMA, 4-4 UFC) to open the main card at UFC 272 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Spivac said he’s aware of the power Hardy brings to the table, but never has been one to worry about who’s in front fo him.
“I don’t care (that it’s Hardy),” Spivac said at Wednesday’s UFC 272 media day in Las Vegas. “I’ll fight anybody. I’m not picky in terms of opponents. Greg is huge – massive – and a very powerful fighter. He has significant (power in) strikes and punches. I think this fight will be exciting. It’ll be a very good fight.
“In my last fight, Tom basically dominated me. He was able to control the fight. He used his game plan and I wasn’t able to do anything I wanted to do. This fight will be different.”
Spivac was supposed to fight Hardy at UFC 270 in January, but Hardy pulled out with a finger injury. Hardy, a former NFL standout whose off-the-field and out-of-the-cage past issues keep him a controversial figure in the sport, will be trying to rebound from a two-fight skid of knockouts to Marcin Tybura and Tai Tuivasa.
Spivac, who was born in Moldova, which borders on Ukraine in Eastern Europe, said he moved to Las Vegas to train after his loss to Aspinall and has seen improvements in his performance in the gym.
But even though he said he doesn’t care who’s in front of him when the cage door closes, he knows he needs to be ready for Hardy despite his opponent’s skid.
“I’m taking every fight seriously, regardless of who my opponent is,” he said. “I’m focused on (Hardy) very seriously.”
https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2022/03/ufc-272-video-serghei-spivac-cautious-of-greg-hardy-power-heavyweight-mma