The Ultimate Fighting Championship has a jam-packed schedule and this Saturday we are getting what should be a very entertaining light heavyweight fight between Anthony Smith and Ryan Spann.
Anthony Smith was born in Corpus Christi, Texas and he grew up in Nebraska City. He dropped out of high school in the middle of the senior year and started working full-time as a concrete finisher until 2016.
Smith’s MMA career began in 2008, fighting for local promotions in the midwestern United States mainly. He went 13-7, with wins against WEC veterans Logan Clark, Eric Schambari. Smith also fought UFC veterans Jake Hecht and Jesse Forbes and eventually signed with Strikeforce.
His move to the UFC took place once Strikeforce ended. He lost his UFC debut against Antonio Braga Neto at UFC on Fuel TV 10 on June 8, 2013 via kneebar submission in the first round. The UFC released him and he joined Bellator in 2014, winning his fights against Victor Moreno and Brian Green.
The UFC re-signed him in 2016 and he beat Leonardo Guimaraes via unanimous decision in his return fight at UFC Fight Night 83 on February 21, 2016. After incredible fights against the likes of Hector Lombard and Thiago Santos, he moved to light heavyweight and beat former champions Rashad Evans and Mauricio Rua. He was also successful against Volkan Oezdemir.
This led to a UFC light heavyweight championship fight against Jon Jones at UFC 235 on March 2, 2019. Jones won via unanimous decision. He then headlined UFC Fight Night 153 on June 1, 2019, submitting Alexander Gustafsson in the fourth round. Smith then suffered TKO loss against Glover Teixeira at UFC Fight Night 171 on May 13, 2020 and lost a decision against Aleksandar Rakic at UFC Vegas 8 but he got back on track by submitting Devin Clark in the first round at UFC Vegas 15 on November 28 and stopping Jimmy Crute in the first round at UFC 261 on April 24.
Born: July 26, 1988
Age: 33
Country: United States
Height: 6’4″
Weight: 205 lbs
Reach: 76″
Stance: Orthodox
Association: Factory X
Class: Light Heavyweight
Record: 35-16
A Memphis, Tennessee native, Ryan Spann has made a name for himself in relatively short period of time. The Dana White’s Contender Series alumni stopped MMA legends Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Misha Cirkunov inside the first round and he owns seven guillotine chokes on his professional record.
Spann started his UFC career with wins against Luis Henrique Barbosa de Oliveira, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Devin Clark and Sam Alvey before walking into a KO in Round 1 against Johnny Walker at UFC Vegas 11 on September 19. He bounced back with a TKO against Misha Cirkunov in the first round at UFC Vegas 21 on March 13.
Ryan Spann has recorded decision wins, a KO, a TKO and a submission since joining the UFC, which shows his versatility. Now he rides a 5-1 record in the UFC and he’s ready to tackle the top 10 light heavyweight fighters.
Born: August 24, 1991
Age: 30
Country: United States
Height: 6’5″
Weight: 205 lbs
Reach: 79″
Stance: Orthodox
Association: Fortis MMA
Class: Light Heavyweight
Record: 19-6
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