Tai Tuivasa is set to make his Octagon return at UFC 238 in Chicago, Illinois when he takes on Blagoy Ivanov at UFC 238 on June 9th. News of the bout was first reported by The Daily Telegraph Thursday evening.
Tai Tuivasa is no stranger to competing in the Windy City, as Chicago, Illinois was the location where Tuivasa enjoyed his most recent victory, which came over Andrei Arlovski at UFC 225 last June. Tuivasa defeated the former UFC heavyweight champion by unanimous decision and entered the official rankings as a result. Today, Tuivasa sits at #12 on the rankings, and a victory over a fellow ranked heavyweight could certainly be enough to catapult Tuivasa into the top 10.
In Tai Tuivasa’s most recent bout he loss the main event of UFC Adelaide to Junior dos Santos, bringing a somber end for his homecoming, but Tuivasa will look to open his 2019 résumé with a victory.
As for Blagoy Ivanov, he, too, suffered his most recent loss to Junior dos Santos and will also be looking to catapult himself into the top 10 with a victory at UFC 238. Ivanov would bounce back from that loss in his UFC debut by defeating Ben Rothwell earlier this month at UFC on ESPN+ 4. The #14-ranked Ivanov has now won six of his last seven bouts and will be making his first UFC pay per view appearance against a certified banger.
UFC 238 currently includes the following bouts:
Women’s Flyweight Championship: Valentina Shevchenko © vs. Jessica Eye
Tatiana Suarez vs. Nina Ansaroff
Tai Tuivasa vs. Blagoy Ivanov
Katlyn Chookagian vs. Joanne Calderwood
What is your prediction for this heavyweight bout? Will Tai Tuivasa get back in the win column? Or will Blagoy Ivanov make it two in a row at UFC 238?
