Ryan Spann: Future Light Heavyweight Champion
This Saturday night, UFC presents its 220th Fight Night event from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. The main event of the night is a bout between two top ten Light Heavyweights, Ryan Spann, and Nikita Krylov. Both men are 3-2 in their last five fights with both being on a two-fight win streak. In his last five fights, Krylov has two one winning finish when he knocked out Alexander Gustafsson in round one back in July of 2022.
Meanwhile, in Ryan Spann’s last five, every single fight has went to a finish win or lose with all of them ending in the first round. Ryan Spann doesn’t work by the hour, he’s stepping into the cage to take someone’s head off as fast as he can and be as vicious as he can be. Ryan has been climbing up the rankings and has made his way into the Top 10, currently at number nine in the division. His opponent is number six ranked and if Ryan picks up the main event win, he’ll be shifted up in the division and that’s a scary thought for everyone ahead.
Spann really put the division on notice his last time out when he knocked out former title challenger Dominik Reyes at UFC 281 in November. The knockout was shared around millions of times and went viral online with how brutal it was. Many fans took notice of Ryan Spann with his round one submission victory on Dana White’s Contender Series back in 2018 and as he continued on with the UFC, it was clear how skilled this man was. But, the knockout of Reyes really put eyes on Ryan Spann and now he has the chance to put on another great performance this Saturday when he headlines the card.
Stylistically, Ryan Spann matches up well with nearly everyone in the division and though he’s not the best wrestler in his weight class, he does have enough skill to hold his own as he’s the owner of three submission wins under the UFC banner. Two of his losses are men ahead of him, one being Johnny Walker who won a decision victory and the other being Anthony Smith, who submitted Spann. Those are his only two losses as apart of the UFC roster and if he gets past Krylov this weekend, there’s a chance he’d be able to avenge those losses.
Ryan Spann A Future Light Heavyweight Champ?
As for the rest of the division, they’re no slouches. But, they better bring the best chin they can because Ryan ‘Superman’ Spann has the power to take anyone out at any moment. Yes, everyone in the light heavyweight division can pack a punch, but the unique power that Ryan Spann possesses is a big reason why u believe Ryan will be a future champion in the division. The current champion, Jamahal Hill recently won the vacated gold by defeating and retiring Glover Teixeira after former champion Jiri Prochazka was forced to vacate due to injury. Though there’s no official time-table on when Jiri could be back, it’s very evident he’d be first in line for Jamhal.
But, have no mistake about it, Ryan Spann definitely has a path to the gold if he were successful against Krylov. Anthony Smith and Johnny Walker are set to battle in May, and the winner of that would seemingly move up to a contenders spot. But, the loser could drop down just enough for Ryan Spann to get his win back and launch himself up into title contention. There’s a lot of moving parts in the UFC and especially in the Light Heavyweight division but I predict that by the end of 2024, Ryan Spann will be fighting for the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship.
But, all of this could go up in smoke if Nikita Krylov puts a stop to Superman in two days. This is a big step in the division for both of these men and there’s almost a guarantee that one of the two main eventers will be put to sleep inside the distance. My official prediction is Ryan Spann wins by knockout in round one, let’s see if that comes true. You can check out UFC’s Fight Night this Saturday night on ESPN+ with the prelims kicking off at 4PM EST.
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