UFC Vegas 70: Krylov vs Spann Preview, Predictions & Betting Odds

Ultimate Fighting Championship is hosting a new event in their own UFC Apex in Las Vegas this weekend. UFC Vegas 70: Krylov vs Spann will include two of the biggest prospects in the light-heavyweight division in a bout that will shift the rankings and potentially show the future contender for the belt. Here are our predictions for the main event:

UFC Vegas 70: Nikita Krylov vs Ryan Spann Preview, Analysis, Odds

Nikita Krylov Preview

Nikita is a 30-year-old fighter from Ukraine. He made his UFC debut in August 2013.

Nikita dismantled Ozdemir in the last fight, but this meeting was clearly one of the most difficult in his career. Volkan shocked Krylov in the very first seconds, having spent several successful series. As a result, Nikita lost a lot of strength and spent several minutes recovering.

Nikita is a versatile fighter. In the stand, he is distinguished by excellent footwork, throwing out well-balanced combinations, and aggressive combat. On the ground, a fighter can dominate opponents who do not have a wrestling or grappling training.

Krylov has no stamina. He begins to get very tired after 7.5 minutes of active work, because of which he loses concentration and makes mistakes. I note that despite the relatively good wrestling, Nikita cannot compete on equal terms with BJJ and wrestling specialists. Trying to get to his feet, he makes mistakes, because of which it is easy to catch him in a submission.

I note that Nikita does not have a fighting IQ. Due to the fact that Krylov constantly makes mistakes, he performs unstably. For example, in a fight against the dangerous Paul Craig, Nikita, instead of dismantling the opponent in the standing position, climbed up to fight him and got caught in a triangle.

Nikita needs to move the fight to the clinch as quickly as possible, and then to the ground, avoiding any protracted firefight in the rack. Only in this way will he be able to deprive the opponent of speed and develop his own serial attack.

Ryan Spann Preview

Ryan is a 31-year-old American fighter. He made his UFC debut in September 2018 against Luis Enrique, whom he defeated via unanimous decision. Spann had 9 fights in the UFC: 7 won, 2 lost.

The knockout of Dominick Reyes was probably the most striking and memorable in Spann's career. Rarely in MMA can you find such a powerful jab that will knock down the top fighter of the roster. Reyes who almost finished Jon Jones a few years ago.

Ryan is very good at wrestling. But he is even better at submissions. 12 out of 20 victories he won by submission. His favorite trick is the guillotine, he can successfully throw it not only in the stalls but also in the standing position. In addition, Ryan is good at controlling the opponent in the clinch near the net.

I note that Spann has a cannon punch, which he tries to use in the stance. But due to a mediocre punch, most of his punches fly wide of the mark. In the stance, Ryan looks heavy: he is slow and monotonous, as evidenced by the average statistics of his fights – he deals 3.1 punches per minute of the fight.

Strength and accuracy are the main trump cards of the American. Ryan understands that he should be more careful and work exclusively at a distance. His main task is to throw his uncomfortable jab and throw Krylov as far as possible without giving him the opportunity to tie his hands at the net.

Superman needs to keep the defense only in the first round. At the beginning of the second, Krylov will inevitably throw himself at his feet, and Spann must catch him on the guillotine, holding him in this position for as long as possible. It is clear that he will not be able to submit Nikita, but it will definitely deprive him of his strength.

UFC Vegas 70: Krylov vs Spann Predictions

I never had questions about Krylov's motivation and stamina. He is ready to go forward even after the hardest hits, tying clinches or attacking the feet of opponents.

But there is a suspicion that we all got too hung up on Spann's striking and forgot that he has good defense against takedowns and will be able to defend against Nikita's wrestling attacks for a long time. On the side of Superman is the advantage of physical strength. If necessary, he himself can turn Krylov to the net in order to finish off with side hooks and knees on the body.

The duel between Nikita and Ozdemir proved once again that even a small gap in defense can jeopardize the entire outcome of the battle. Then he miraculously survived the first round and took the initiative. But I doubt that Krylov will be able to trick Ryan and escape his killer jabs. Spann will definitely hit a lot in the first round and may well shake Krylov. And I'm afraid that the latter will not be able to recover after such a shock combination.