Marcos Rogerio de Lima likes the idea of facing Marcin Tybura next.

Tybura called out de Lima after his unanimous decision win over Serghei Spivak at UFC on ESPN+ 27, and the Brazilian says he has accepted his offer.

“I want to take advantage of the fact that Marcin Tybura challenged me,” de Lima told MMA Junkie. “He’s an excellent fighter, he’s aggressive, he has good jiu-jitsu – it’s a great test for me. As with many other fighters in our weight class, I see myself as being faster, and more explosive. I deliver a greater volume of strikes, and I enjoy fighting. He likes to stall a little – not me. I like to start the fight right away. It’s an excellent fight for me.

“We hope that the UFC and the world itself can get back to normal soon. I think if we could meet between June and August, that would be excellent. We hope the UFC can start booking people again. We can’t wait forever. We get paid only when we fight. Money is running out. We’ve got to fight.”

The fight with Tybura (18-6 MMA, 5-5 UFC) almost materialized in 2017, when de Lima (17-6-1 MMA, 6-4 UFC) offered to step in and fight him on short notice, but at the time the Brazilian couldn’t get clearance to compete.

“Actually, I had previously accepted to face Tybura, one week after I fought Jeremy Kimball,” de Lima recalled. “I was uninjured. Tybura’s bout with Luis Henrique ‘KLB’ had been called off. I offered to replace ‘KLB’ on short notice. The only reason that fight didn’t happen was because I dislocated a finger against Kimball, and the athletic commission in Colorado wouldn’t allow it.”

De Lima is coming off a first-round finish over Ben Sosoli in February and has gone 2-1 since his return to heavyweight. He’s currently in Brazil, making the most of training during this coronavirus outbreak, but is eager to get back to action soon.

“I’m doing everything I can to be ready,” de Lima said. “I want to fight as soon as possible. This pandemic will end soon. I want to be ready to fight. I’ve been working on my wrestling for quite some time. My coach Alireza Noei was the Iranian champion, and also an intercontinental champion. He’s an MMA fighter now. He’s here in Brazil. He’s a big help. That’s what’s new about my game.

“And what I see as my biggest advantage against Tybura is the fact that he likes to take his time. I won’t let him do that. He won’t be able to stand the rhythm I’ll impose on him. I firmly believe this, not just against him, but against 80 percent of the heavyweight stable. My volume of strikes, my speed, and my willpower will always make their lives difficult.”