MMAOB staff writer Adam Martin takes a deeper look at the main event of UFC Vegas 37, a five-round light heavyweight bout between Anthony Smith and Ryan Spann. The event takes place on Saturday, September 18 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Anthony Smith (-170)
Smith (35-16) is the No. 6 ranked light heavyweight in the UFC. The 33-year-old American has been in the UFC full-time since 2016 and he has gone 10-5 during that span with wins over the likes of Alexander Gustafsson, Jimmy Crute, Devin Clark, Shogun Rua, Volkan Oezdemir, and Rashad Evans, to name a few. He also had a previous loss in the UFC back in 2013, so overall his record in the world’s leading MMA promotion is a solid 10-6. Smith is a big light heavyweight who is skilled everywhere the fight goes. He has good boxing on the feet, a slick submission game, and the cardio to go deep into his fights. On the other hand, his striking defense leaves something to be desired as he gets hit a lot in his fights, and he can also be taken down and controlled on the ground. That being said, Smith is coming into this fight on two straight wins so he has some momentum here against Spann. But he will need to be at his best in order to defeat his very underrated opponent.
Ryan Spann (+150)
Spann (19-6) is the No. 11 ranked light heavyweight in the UFC. The 30-year-old American is 5-1 overall in the UFC since joining the promotion in 2018, with wins over the likes of Misha Cirkunov, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, and Sam Alvey. Spann is a well-rounded and dangerous light heavyweight who can finish the fight anywhere it goes. On the feet, he has shown big-time power in the UFC, and on the ground, he has shown that he has some really nasty chokes and submission skills. Historically, Spann has had some issues with his durability as he’s been knocked out three times in his career with strikes. His defensive limitations are the biggest issue that Spann has because, offense-wise, Spann is very dangerous and has all the tools needed to pull off the upset.
Fight Breakdown: This should be a fun fight for as long as it lasts between two heavyweights who know how to finish fights. Both guys very rarely go the distance so it seems very likely there is a finish somewhere in the 25 minutes here. Even though he’s the underdog, I’m leaning towards Spann to win this fight. He’s the younger fighter, the bigger fighter, and aside from the loss to Johnny Walker he has tons of momentum coming into this fight. Smith has proven himself to be a good fighter over the years but he has also shown holes in his game and I believe he is beatable. Both guys are dangerous finishers but Spann has the power necessary to put out Smith’s lights. I’m going with Spann to get the upset win via TKO as I believe he has the tools needed to finish Smith.
Prediction: Ryan Spann
