UFC Vegas 68 Preview and Predictions
UFC Vegas 68 is not the best fight card that the UFC will produce in 2023. To be fair, the card was supposed to take place in South Korea with the goal of highlighting the UFC’s Asian talent. However, that fell apart when Chan Sung Jung was unable to headline the card. As a result, the event was moved to the UFC Apex and Derrick Lewis vs. Serghei Spivac was booked as the main event. That is also why the UFC Vegas 68 main card will air at 1 am EST on Sunday morning rather than the traditional Saturday, 10 pm EST timeslot. This card may be a tough one for American fans that are not used to staying up late.
Still, the Vendetta Sports Media UFC preview team is here to break down and preview the main card.
James: 7-3
Garrett: 6-4
Jerry: 6-4
Anthony: 6-4
Yusaku Kinoshita vs. Adam Fugitt- Welterweight
James: UFC Vegas 68 will open with a welterweight bout between Yusaku Kinoshita and Adam Fugitt. In this one, all eyes will be on Kinoshita. The Japanese prospect looked great on Dana White’s Contender Series and established himself as a fighter with a high ceiling before ever making his UFC debut. Now, in his UFC debut, he will have a chance to make a statement against Fugitt. Similarly, Fugitt will be looking to get his first UFC victory after dropping his debut to another elite prospect, Michael Morales.
If you are curious about Kinoshita’s fighting style, the best word that can be used to describe it is violent. At 6-1, his only loss was a disqualification at Rizin Trigger 1st in 2021. The catch is that he lost because he was throwing foot stomps to his opponent’s head while grabbing the cage. Now, in Rizin, stomping on your opponent’s head is legal, but grabbing the cage is not, hence why he was disqualified. That is violent.
Despite being violent, Kinoshita is also technical. He has the ability to switch stances, throw feints, and counter-striker. More importantly, he can use those tools to set up powerful strikes. Meanwhile, Fugitt is a solid striker, but he has fewer tools and is not as fluid with his striking. Although, I am interested to see if Fugitt can land takedowns in this fight. If there is a weakness in Kinoshita’s skill set, that would be it. I am interested to see if Fugitt could exploit that as a weakness.
In this fight, I think Kinoshita will be able to outstrike Fugitt before eventually landing a brutal knockout. I will take Kinoshita by knockout in round two.
Garrett: Kinoshita via decision
Jerry: Kinoshita via KO/TKO
Anthony: Kinoshita via KO
Doo Ho Choi vs. Kyle Nelson- Featherweight
James: At UFC Vegas 68, Doo Ho Choi is finally making his UFC return after taking a lengthy layoff. His last fight was all the way back in 2019 against Charles Jourdain. Prior to that, he fought in 2018 and 2016. Needless to say, Choi has struggled to remain active. This is mainly because of South Korean military policies and injuries. Regardless, his lack of cage time has been less than ideal. Overall, Choi’s career has been a tale of two parts. The first half saw Choi impress as an exciting featherweight prospect. This culminated in a historic fight with Cub Swanson that was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame. After losing that bout, he fell into his aforementioned string of inactivity.
Choi will be looking to get back in the win column against Kyle Nelson. Nelson’s career has been unsteady as he has bounced between lightweight and featherweight while going 1-4 in the UFC. Essentially, Choi is making his return against Nelson, an entry-level opponent, to prove that he is still UFC-caliber before jumping back in with more skilled featherweights.
In this bout, Nelson will need to find an early finish if he wants to win. Typically, he attempts to get this done by pressuring his opponents and throwing big hooks while they are up against the fence. He likes to attack in the clinch too. The issue is that when he does not find that early finish, he struggles later in fights. Choi should be able to counter that aggressive style with more technical striking. This can be done with his boxing, specifically straight shots, or his explosive knees.
I think Choi manages to avoid the early aggression from Nelson and capitalize once he tires. I will take Choi by second-round knockout.
Garrett: Choi via decision
Jerry: Choi via decision
Anthony: Choi via KO
No. 10 Marcin Tybura vs. No. 15 Blagoy Ivanov- Heavyweight
James: Ranked heavyweights Marcin Tybura and Blagoy Ivanov are set to square off at UFC Vegas 68. Both fighters are UFC veterans at this point in their careers. Tybura has racked up a 10-6 UFC record while Ivanov sits at 3-3.
For American fans that are staying up late to watch a UFC card for the first time, this will be the fight that puts you to sleep. Sorry, that is just the way it is. Tybura and Ivanov are both low-volume strikers that are more than willing to waste time clinching up against the fence. Not the most exciting fight you will ever see.
I think this fight will be pretty close and it is not easy to pick a side. These fighters are fairly similar so it is tough to pick a side. All things considered, I think the difference maker will be that Tybura attempts more takedowns. That will be beneficial if this fight is close. Plus, Tybura is quicker on the feet. I will take Tybura by decision.
Garrett: Ivanov via TKO
Jerry: Tybura via decision
Anthony: Tybura via decision
Da Un Jung vs. Devin Clark- Light Heavyweight
James: The UFC Vegas 68 co-main event features a light heavyweight bout between Da Un Jung and Devin Clark. Jung and Clark are both light heavyweights that find themselves just outside the bantamweight rankings that are looking to get one step closer to the top 15. At the moment, Jung is further progressed in that journey as he is 4-1-1 in the UFC. Meanwhile, Clark has more UFC experience which has led to losses against top-tier competition. In total, he has gone 7-7 in the UFC.
I hate trying to predict Clark’s fights. That is because if you were to give him a singlet and headgear he would outwrestle most UFC light heavyweights; however, he does not utilize that skill. Instead, he spends too much time striking despite the fact that he fights with low output and struggles defensively. Jung is a fighter that can exploit that weakness. Jung has good hands and solid power. I expect that Jung will outstrike Clark from distance before eventually finding a knockout. I will take Jung by second-round knockout.
Garrett: Jung via TKO
Jerry: Jung via KO/TKO
Anthony: Jung via decision
No. 7 Derrick Lewis vs. No.12 Serghei Spivac- Heavyweight
James: The main event of UFC Vegas 68 will feature a heavyweight bout between Derrick Lewis, the UFC knockout king, and Serghei Spivac. For different reasons, each of these fighters desperately needs a win.
Lewis is free-falling down the heavyweight rankings after losing three of his last four. At 37 years old, he desperately needs a win to prove he is still an elite fighter. Meanwhile, Spivac is looking to climb up in the rankings. He has won five of his six with the only loss coming to Tom Aspinall. At 28, Spivac is looking to reach the elite portion of the rankings at a relatively young age. If he beats Lewis at UFC Vegas 68, he will accomplish that.
Will Lewis land the KO shot? If you answer that question with a yes, you probably pick Lewis. Otherwise, the pick is Spivac. Lewis does have skills other than power, he has underrated wrestling, along with good kicks, and knees.
Meanwhile, Spivac is known for his wrestling. He is a terrific wrestler and he is tough to deal with. On the ground, he stays active by attempting a lot of submissions while mixing in ground and pound. If a fighter stands up, Spivac is very good at keeping a clinch position and landing a mat return or clinch throw. That makes it tough to get away from his grappling. It also creates a quick pace that is difficult to keep up with. He makes you tired and wears on you.
In this fight, Spivac’s ability to get takedowns in the clinch will be beneficial as he will be able to get inside while avoiding uppercuts and knees. That will be tough for Lewis to handle. I will take Spivac by submission in round four.
Garrett: Spivac via decision
Jerry: Lewis via KO/TKO
Anthony: Lewis via Ko
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