Sixth-ranked UFC light heavyweight Anthony Smith only needed one round to run through eleventh-ranked opponent Ryan Spann in the UFC Vegas 37 main event.
There was animosity between Spann and Smith heading into the headliner of Saturday night’s event inside the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada, and “Lionheart” was the fighter that was able to unleash some pent up displeasure during the fight.
Anthony Smith destroys Ryan Spann in one at UFC Vegas 37
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Just over a minute into the opening round, Smith was able to score a stinging left hand that stunned Spann. While Spann was able to survive the barrage of ground-and-pound that followed after he was knocked down, that left hand was a consistent problem throughout the fight.
Several times in the round, Smith was able to land that particular strike and wobble the Texas-native. Maybe he never recovered from being hurt the first time, but Spann seemed to be on shaky footing throughout the round. Eventually, Spann found himself in a familiar place on the mat, and Smith was able to showcase the grappling skills that have earned him 14 submission wins.
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With just over a minute left, the Nebraska-native was able to gain back control and lock in a fight-ending submission. Immediately after the referee called a stop to the action, Smith stood over his defeated opponent and taunted Spann. Security had to jump in a separate the two because it looked like the fight could start all over again. However, cooler heads prevailed and the two did shake hands soon after.
The win is a third straight for smith and puts him in line for a major matchup with a top-five talent. Something he called for in his post-fight interview. Revenge fights against Thiago Santos and Aleksandar Rakic, or a bout against Dominick Reyes makes a lot of sense next.
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Spann’s defeat is the second in his last three in the Octagon. The loss moves the Dana White’s Contender Series contract winner’s record to 5-2 in the UFC.
