Worldwide

UFC Fight Night Prediction – Smith vs Spann: Singapore War!

Published

on

UFC Fight Night Prediction – Smith vs Spann: Singapore War!

The UFC is back once again this weekend, but NOT from Las Vegas!

This weekend, your regularly scheduled UFC viewing comes to you LIVE from Singapore; an event featuring Max “Blessed” Holloway taking on “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung. Here though, we are breaking down the co-main event, which comes to us from the light heavyweight division. The matchup in question stars one Anthony “Lionheart” Smith and “Superman” Ryan Spann. Read on below to find out our analysis and prediction for this co-main event!

P.S. The main card starts at 8am EST/5am PST, so make sure to set your clocks so you don't miss this Fight Night card!

Anthony Smith: On a Downward Slide…

Outside the octagon, Anthony Smith has been having a great time recently, serving (quite excellently) as a color analyst for ESPN's coverage of the UFC. Unfortunately, his form outside the cage has been completely paradoxical to his form inside it.

For those of you who might remember, this fight is actually a re-match of the first fight, which occurred in September 2021. Back then, Smith picked up FOTN honours in a wild back-and-forth brawl that saw him submit Spann. Since that fight, however, Smith has fought twice and lost twice. He was stopped by division star Magomed Ankalaev in December of 2022, and then lost a decision victory to Johnny Walker in May of this year. Oof.

As far as Anthony Smith goes, there have been questions far and wide about his motivations to continue fighting. He's 35 years old now, he's achieved a lot in the UFC, and he has a lot of great things going on outside the cage. He has his analyst gig with ESPN, and he also has dabbled his hand in other involvements, such as podcasting. Suffice to say – it's an easy prediction to say that Anthony Smith won't be entering this fight with a whole lot of confidence, and, truthfully, this could be one of the last times we see Anthony Smith on the other side of the cage fence.

Ryan Spann: “Superman” Seeking Stronger Form

Like Anthony Smith, Ryan Spann is also coming into this fight off the back of a loss. Albeit not two losses, but a loss nonetheless.

Ryan Spann is a really, really odd fighter. On the one hand, he has so much potential and power it's almost scary. He managed to knock out Dominick Reyes with a jab. WITH A JAB! Think about how insane that is. He sunk in a nasty guillotine choke on Ion Cutelaba the fight before. He has proven his variety and his flexibility, and that is something that not every fighter can say.

Need to fix myself up"- Ryan Spann reveals his future plans after securing  one of the biggest wins of his career at UFC Vegas 54

Ryan Spann has proven to have an impressive variety of skills, as showcased with an impressively brutal guillotine choke on Ion Cutelaba. (Image Credit: FirstSportz)

On the other hand, Spann is always prone to making the most basic, stupid mistakes imaginable, to the point of cartoon steam coming out of one's ears. When Ryan Spann stops thinking, he gets himself in so much needless and unnecessary trouble. His submission loss to Anthony Smith was avoidable. His losses to Nikita Krylov and Johnny Walker saw him charge in headfirst, only to get stopped as a result. If Ryan Spann has been able to address his reckless nature, then my prediction is that he should be very confident heading into this fight.

Anthony Smith: Path to Victory – Jiu Jitsu is King

Hardly the boldest prediction that I'll ever make, but Anthony Smith needs to get this fight to the deck.

Whilst Ryan Spann has displayed some impressive and improved prowess on the ground, it is still his weak spot. His decision making on the ground tends to be pretty rash, whereas being on the ground is second nature to “Lionheart”. Also, keep in mind that Smith did pull off a submission win in their last meeting, so this could well be something that plays on the mind of Spann.

In short – if this fight stays on the feet, then Ryan Spann could well knock Anthony Smith into orbit with any shot that connects. However, if Smith can time a takedown, or even get the better of a grappling exchange, then the dynamic of this fight could quite literally turn on its head. I'm not making a confident prediction for Anthony Smith, but the path to victory is there for him.

Ryan Spann: Path to Victory – Connect and Detonate

A very simple prediction from me; if Ryan Spann connects with one of those trademark right hands, he could absolutely knock Anthony Smith into orbit.

The natural power that Ryan Spann possesses is genuinely otherworldly at times. Everybody talks about the jab knockout victory over Dominick Reyes, but you have to watch it in order to understand it. And that is my prediction for how Ryan Spann could win this fight – he has to keep it on the feet.

Ryan Spann | UFC

Ryan Spann possesses truly scary power – as Dominick Reyes unfortunately found out the hard way. (Image Credit: UFC)

Like I've already said, Ryan Spann has proven that he has very solid potential on the ground, but I just don't trust his rash nature. Patience truly is a virtue, but it isn't one possessed by Ryan Spann in any great measure. However, this can be worked to Spann's advantage. If he's able to shut down Smith's early takedown attempts (which I am confident in my prediction that they will come), then Spann will really be able to go to work. He is also excellent at using forward pressure, cornering and trapping his opponents in less-than-ideal positions. If Spann can trap and unload on Smith, he could well end this fight early.

Official Prediction: Ryan Spann Sleeps Smith

Truthfully, I can't offer a genuine prediction for Anthony Smith winning this fight.

Given his two fight losing streak, as well as all the other factors mentioned above, I think we are getting to the point where Anthony Smith is potentially losing his motivation to fight, and, to be fair, with good reason. He's 35, he has an excellent job with ESPN doing what he does best and loves just as much. Unfortunately for him, I think this one ends brutally. I think Ryan Spann is going to detonate early and detonate hard, and I think this one ends in a TKO that Anthony Smith will be on the wrong end of.

A Consistent Ryan Spann Is A Dangerous Ryan Spann | UFC

By the end of tomorrow, I think that Ryan Spann will be celebrating a win, and an important return to form. (Image Credit: UFC)

Official prediction: Ryan Spann to win via first round TKO.

 

 

[Scratches record] Yeah, that's me. You're probably wondering how I ended up here...or not. My name's Keelin McNamara, and I am an AVID combat sports fan. Always have been, and probably always will be. I started writing and podcasting about MMA in the Summer of 2020 (yeah, we don't talk about that here either). I've been doing it ever since, and have loved every single minute of it! Thanks for checking out whatever it is you're reading - I hope you enjoy it!

Continue Reading