UFC Vegas 37 features a light heavyweight bout between former title challenger, Anthony Smith and the rising contender of the division in Ryan Spann.
Not so long ago, Anthony Smith was on a two-fight losing streak. He suffered devastating losses against Aleksander Rakic and Glover Teixeira. He got dominated by Glover until the stoppage while Rakic out-wrestled him for three rounds.
However, this is a much-improved version of Anthony Smith. He has been training with Chris Weidman and Stephen Thompson for quite a while now and there have been some big changes in his striking game.
On the other hand, Ryan Spann is coming off a huge knockout win over Misha Cirkunov. He certainly has the weapons and experience to break into the top 10 rankings of the UFC light heavyweight division.
And the fight against Anthony Smith will be the biggest opportunity for him to put the division on notice.
So who will get the job done in the main event of UFC vegas 37?
Anthony Smith vs Ryan Spann Prediction
Lionheart has looked really good since his loss to Aleksander Rakic. He was able to secure a submission win over Devin Clark, who is a tough opponent in the UFC light heavyweight division.
Though the fight against Jimmy Crute was stopped after round 1 Smith showcased brilliant striking early on. He was landing his jabs and leg kicks and was able to control the octagon.
Smith is not a knock-out artist but he has solid striking. And his striking has improved a lot in his last few fights.
Besides that, Anthony Smith is extremely durable. Though he has been finished in his career before he has only been knocked out once in 51 pro MMA fights.
He was able to withstand tremendous punishment in the fights against Jon Jones and Glover Teixeira. So it will be a tough task for Ryan Spann to secure an early KO against Lionheart.
And as the fight goes to the later rounds, Smith will be a huge favorite to win the fight.
Ryan Spann struggled against Sam Alvey in a three-round fight and barely won the fight. He is a big buy for the division and has serious power. But, he has not showcased impressive cardio. And considering the fact that this will be his first five-round fight, Spann will not find himself in a good place if the fight goes to the 4th or 5th rounds.
Ryan Spann will have to finish the fight in the early rounds. However, Anthony Smith is one of the most durable light heavyweights in UFC. And he should be able to overcome the early onslaught from Spann and secure a finish in the later rounds.
It won’t be even a surprise if Smith pulls out a submission win against Spann in the later rounds when Spann is gassed out.
Anthony “Lionheart” Smith vs Ryan Spann Prediction: Anthony Smith via Finish