Serghei Spivac Bio
Serghei Spivac (born January 24, 1995) is a Moldovan professional mixed martial artist who competes in the Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional since 2014, he has also formerly competed for World Warriors Fighting Championships, Eagles Fighting Championship, N1 Pro, and Real Fight Promotion. As of September 9, 2025, he is ranked number seven in the UFC heavyweight rankings. Competing out of Chișinău, Moldova, and training with MIR Production, he carries the ring nickname “Polar Bear” because of his combination of size, durability, and grappling-heavy style. With a professional record built on a high submission count, he has carved out a reputation as one of the more dangerous ground fighters in the division.
Early Life and Background
Serghei Spivac was born on January 24, 1995, in Chișinău, the capital of Moldova. He grew up in the city and still resides there, training out of MIR Production as his home camp. Moldova has produced a steady stream of combat-sports athletes, and Spivac was drawn into the world of fighting during his teenage years. He began his professional career in 2014 at the age of 19, which meant his early athletic development took place largely inside regional promotions rather than through an extended amateur run.
Standing 191 centimeters tall with a 198-centimeter reach and competing at heavyweight around 106 kilograms, Spivac physically fits the prototypical mold of a top-level heavyweight from the outset of his career. He adopted an orthodox stance and quickly gravitated toward grappling, a skill set that would later define his UFC tenure. Although details about his formal education are not publicly documented, his early commitment to martial arts set the foundation for a professional career that began the same year he turned 19.
Path to MMA
Spivac made his professional MMA debut in September 2014 with the Ukrainian promotion Real Fight Promotion, facing Andrey Serebrianikov. He won that first fight in the last minute of the opening round by TKO, immediately announcing himself as a finisher. He then moved on to the Ukrainian-based World Warriors Fighting Championships (WWFC), where he built a strong regional resume. At WWFC Ukraine Selection 1, he submitted Evgeniy Bova with a kimura in the first round, and at WWFC Ukraine Selection 4 he finished Yuri Gorbenko with an armbar in the first round.
His rapid development continued as he branched out across multiple regional promotions. Under the N1 Pro banner, he submitted Dimitriy Mikutsa with an armbar late in the second round, and with Eagles Fighting Championship he knocked out Artem Cherkov with a head kick in the first round. These performances across Real Fight Promotion, WWFC, N1 Pro, and Eagles Fighting Championship demonstrated his finishing ability in every area of the sport and ultimately earned him a shot at the UFC roster.
Serghei Spivac Career
Early Career (2014–2018)
Spivac’s early professional run was largely spent in Eastern European regional promotions, where he rapidly built a finishing record. After his initial debut under Real Fight Promotion and a string of N1 Pro and Eagles Fighting Championship appearances, he returned to World Warriors Fighting Championships for the most important stretch of his pre-UFC run. He stopped Luke Morton by knockout and then faced MMA veteran Travis Fulton for the vacant WWFC Heavyweight Championship, winning the title in the first round by rear naked choke.
He defended the WWFC Heavyweight Championship twice more, first stopping Croatian Ivo Cuk by TKO in the first round, and then submitting Tony Lopez with a neck crank late in the first round. These title defenses cemented his status as one of the top heavyweights outside major promotions and gave him the résumé needed to attract UFC attention heading into 2019.
UFC Debut and Early UFC Years (2019–2020)
Spivac made his UFC debut during UFC Fight Night 151 at 23 years old, stepping in on short notice to replace Alexey Oleynik against Walt Harris. He suffered the first professional loss of his career in that bout, dropped by a flurry of knees and finished by TKO in just 50 seconds. The setback was brief, however, as he bounced back five months later at UFC 243 against Tai Tuivasa. Using a grappling-heavy approach, Spivac repeatedly took the Australian down and finished him with an arm triangle choke in the second round, earning his first UFC win.
His 2020 schedule was disrupted by a combination of cancellations and rescheduling. He lost a unanimous decision to Marcin Tybura at UFC Fight Night 169 in February, then had a bout with Carlos Felipe pushed from UFC 250 to UFC Fight Night 172 in July, where he won by majority decision. A scheduled bout with Tom Aspinall in October fell through when Spivac withdrew for undisclosed reasons, and a December booking against Jared Vanderaa was postponed after Vanderaa tested positive for COVID-19.
UFC Breakthrough (2021–2023)
Spivac opened 2021 with a second-round TKO win over Jared Vanderaa at UFC Fight Night 185 in February, and followed that with a unanimous decision victory over veteran Alexey Oleynik at UFC on ESPN 25 in June. He then accepted a bout with Tom Aspinall on short notice at UFC Fight Night 191 in September, replacing Sergei Pavlovich, and was stopped by TKO in the first round in a setback against a rising contender.
The 2022 calendar marked his clearest stretch of momentum. He took a short-notice bout with Greg Hardy at UFC 272 after Hardy had originally been booked against Aleksei Oleinik, winning by TKO in the first round, and then knocked out Augusto Sakai in the second round at UFC on ESPN 40 in August. In early 2023 at UFC Fight Night 218, he submitted Derrick Lewis with an arm-triangle choke in the first round, a result that also earned him his first Performance of the Night bonus. The year closed with a second-round TKO loss to Ciryl Gane at UFC Fight Night 226 in September 2023.
Recent UFC Era (2024–Present)
Spivac returned to the win column in emphatic fashion on August 10, 2024, at UFC on ESPN 61, rematching Marcin Tybura and finishing him with an armbar submission in the first round. The performance earned him another Performance of the Night bonus and reinforced his identity as one of the most dangerous submission threats in the heavyweight division. That win pushed him back into the upper tier of the rankings and set up a high-profile booking against Jailton Almeida.
On January 18, 2025, at UFC 311, Spivac faced Jailton Almeida and was stopped by TKO at the end of the first round. He was then booked against Shamil Gaziev, with the bout ultimately moved to UFC 316 on June 7, 2025, after Gaziev withdrew with a broken finger and was replaced by Waldo Cortes-Acosta. Spivac lost a unanimous decision to Cortes-Acosta, though 10 of 13 media outlets scored the fight in his favor. A rescheduled bout with Gaziev at UFC Fight Night 265 in November 2025 was later scrapped after Spivac withdrew for unknown reasons, with Cortes-Acosta once again stepping in as a replacement.
Driving Style and Strengths
Although “driving style” is most often used in motorsport, in Spivac’s case the closest equivalent is his in-cage style. He is a pressure-heavy grappler with strong top control, a dangerous armbar and arm-triangle game, and the conditioning to pursue takedowns across multiple rounds. His 198-centimeter reach and orthodox stance allow him to close distance safely and dictate where the fight takes place.
Notable Events and Milestones
Spivac’s signature moments include his first UFC win over Tai Tuivasa at UFC 243, his first Performance of the Night bonus for submitting Derrick Lewis in 2023, and his first-round armbar of Marcin Tybura in the 2024 rematch that earned him another Performance of the Night. His climb to number seven in the official UFC heavyweight rankings in September 2025 represents the highest ranking of his UFC tenure.
Serghei Spivac Career Wins
Across his professional career, Serghei Spivac has compiled 17 wins against 6 losses in 23 total bouts. His finishing rate is the defining feature of his résumé, with 4 wins by knockout or TKO and 8 wins by submission, complemented by 2 wins by decision.
UFC Highlights
Inside the UFC, Spivac has recorded multiple finishes, including a first-round rear naked choke of Tai Tuivasa at UFC 243, a first-round TKO of Greg Hardy at UFC 272, a second-round TKO of Augusto Sakai at UFC on ESPN 40, a first-round arm-triangle choke of Derrick Lewis at UFC Fight Night 218, and a first-round armbar of Marcin Tybura at UFC on ESPN 61. His wins over Lewis and Tybura also earned him Performance of the Night bonuses, marking the most decorated stretch of his UFC run.
Other Wins and Performances
Outside the UFC, Spivac captured the WWFC Heavyweight Championship with a first-round rear naked choke of Travis Fulton and successfully defended the title twice, stopping Ivo Cuk by TKO and submitting Tony Lopez by neck crank, both in the first round. He also collected first-round finishes in Real Fight Promotion, N1 Pro, and Eagles Fighting Championship, all of which helped build the regional profile that brought him to the UFC in 2019.
Serghei Spivac Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Spivac does not come from a publicly documented fighting family, and there is no verified racing or athletic lineage tied to his parents in available sources. His personal support network is centered on his immediate family in Chișinău, where he continues to live and train.
Personal Life
Spivac is married to his wife Marina, and the couple has a daughter who was born in 2020. He is known to keep his personal life largely private, and the family is based in Chișinău, Moldova, where Spivac trains with MIR Production.
2025 Season Performance
The 2025 season has been a mixed campaign for Serghei Spivac. He opened the year with a high-profile bout against Jailton Almeida at UFC 311 on January 18, 2025, and was stopped by TKO at the end of the first round. The loss was a significant setback in a crowded heavyweight title picture, but his previous form, including the 2024 armbar of Marcin Tybura, kept him in the discussion among top contenders.
His next appearance came against Waldo Cortes-Acosta at UFC 316 on June 7, 2025, after original opponent Shamil Gaziev withdrew with a broken finger. Spivac lost a unanimous decision, though 10 of 13 media outlets scored the fight in his favor, suggesting closer rounds than the official result indicated. Despite back-to-back defeats, his ranking inside the UFC heavyweight top 10 has held, and he was rescheduled to face Gaziev at UFC Fight Night 265 in November 2025 before withdrawing from that bout for unknown reasons.
Looking at the rest of the 2025 calendar, Spivac remains an active member of the UFC heavyweight rotation and continues to be paired with durable, late-replacement opponents in Cortes-Acosta and Gaziev. With a 17-6 professional record, an elite submission arsenal, and a top-10 ranking as of September 9, 2025, he enters the final stretch of the year with the tools to climb back into title contention if he can string together finishes in his next several appearances.