UFC Fight Night 225: Anthony Smith vs Ryan Spann 08/26/2023 Fight Picks, Preview and Predictions

UFC Fight Night 225: Smith vs Spann 08/26/2023 – Two of the best light heavyweights in the world will square off on Saturday, August 26, at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. Eighth-ranked contender Anthony Smith takes on No10 Ryan Spann in a three-round contest that is part of the UFC Fight Night 225 main card that features the match between Max Holloway and Chan Sung Jung in the main event. Both fighters are determined to get back in the winning column, with Smith looking to halt his two-fight losing skid. Spann, on the other hand, looks to bounce back from his one-round submission setback in his last fight in March.

This is also a rematch of their previous fight in September 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada, where Smith prevailed over Spann via a first-round rear-naked choke. Despite winning their first match, MMA oddsmakers see Smith as the underdog in this encounter as they expect Spann to exact vengeance from his loss two years back.

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Main Card

Anthony Smith

Smith (36-18, 11-8 UFC) is a veteran of 54 mixed martial arts fights and has fought the best fighters in the division, including two-division UFC champion Jon Jones and former UFC titleholders Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and Rashad Evans. However, the 35-year-old Texas native is on a two-fight slump as he succumbed to Magomed Ankalaev in June 2022 and Johnny Walker in May this year. He is determined to resuscitate his fading career and a win over Spann would be a big step to regain his credibility in the 205-pound division. Smith, however, will have a slight disadvantage in height and reach but he wants to repeat the one-round submission victory he had against Spann two years back.

Stats wise, Smith has 34 finishes (20 knockouts and 14 submissions) in his career and this makes the American fighter dangerous in the cage, as he can beat his foe in various ways. The striking stats might not impress, with Smith landing 2.96 strikes per minute and having a 47% significant strike accuracy. Smith has been able to fend off 43% of the strikes attempted against him in the UFC and has absorbed 4.49 strikes per minute. Smith’s possible weakness is his grappling as he his takedown average is 0.48 takedowns per 15 minutes. He has a pedestrian 28% takedown success rate and his defense is 47%. Smith’s submission average is 0.69 per 15 minutes.

Ryan Spann

Spann (21-8, 7-3 UFC) will make his 11th fight inside the octagon as he seeks vengeance from the previous setback he had against Smith. He started like a house on fire in his first four UFC fights, winning all of them. However, he bumped into a brick wall in Johnny Walker, who knocked him out in just two minutes and 43 seconds in the first round. Spann would beat Misha Cirkunov before meeting Smith for the first time. After his loss to Smith, Spann defeated Ion Cutelaba (submission) and Dominick Reyes (KO) to regain his footing in the light heavyweight class. However, Spann had his two-fight winning streak snapped as he fell to Nikita Krylov via triangle choke submission in 3:38 of the first round. He will come into this fight with a one-inch height and three-inch reach advantage that he can use to keep Smith at bay.

Stats wise, Spann has 18 finishes (12 submissions and 6 KOs) and three decision wins to his credit. He has landed an average of 3.28 significant strikes per minute at an accuracy rate of 44%. He has defended 48% of the strike attempts launched against him and absorbed 3.32 significant strikes per minute. Grappling has been Spann’s bread and butter as he has averaged 1.64 successful takedowns per 15 minutes at 37% accuracy. He has stopped 45% of the takedown attempts against him and averaged 1.91 submissions per 15 minutes.