UFC Vegas 37: Anthony Smith vs. Ryan Spann Main Event Picks

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. Here’s a complete preview, including updated UFC odds and our betting pick.

Anthony Smith vs. Ryan Spann

UFC Light Heavyweight Main Event Bout

Saturday, September 18, 2021 - 11:05 PM EDT at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas

In the main event of the evening, Anthony Smith battles Ryan Spann. UFC Vegas 37 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. With plenty of betting lines and markets currently available, let’s attempt to find some value for our UFC picks on Saturday’s main event.

Anthony Smith of the United States. Alex Menendez/Getty Images/AFP

Anthony Smith

Introduction, Background and UFC Career

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 8th, 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 21st, 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 2nd, 2019. Jones won via unanimous decision. He then headlined UFC Fight Night 153 on June 1st, 2019, submitting Alexander Gustafsson in the fourth round. Smith then suffered TKO loss against Glover Teixeira at UFC Fight Night 171 on May 13th, 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 28th and stopping Jimmy Crute in the first round at UFC 261 on April 24th.

Born:July 26th, 1988Age:33Country:United StatesHeight:6’4?Weight:205 lbsReach:76?Stance:OrthodoxAssociation:Factory XClass:Light HeavyweightRecord:35-16

Stats

Method of VictorySignificant StrikesTakedowns19 wins by KO/TKO3.00 Landed28% Accuracy13 wins by Submission4.36 Absorbed47% Defended2 wins by Decision

Octagon Strengths

Battle-testedComplete commitment to doing damageDiverse offenseFormer Cage Fury Middleweight Champion (one-time)Former Victory FC Middleweight Champion (one-time)

Octagon Weaknesses

His willingness to take a shot in an effort to land one can be costly

Ryan Spann of the United States. Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images/AFP

Ryan Spann

Introduction, Background and UFC Career

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 19th. He bounced back with a TKO against Misha Cirkunov in the first round at UFC Vegas 21 on March 13th. 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 24th, 1991Age:30Country:United StatesHeight:6’5?Weight:205 lbsReach:79?Stance:OrthodoxAssociation:Fortis MMAClass:Light HeavyweightRecord:19-6

Stats

Method of VictorySignificant StrikesTakedowns5 wins by KO/TKO3.55 Landed41% Accuracy11 wins by Submission3.45 Absorbed60% Defended3 wins by Decision

Octagon Strengths

Talented strikerHas a blue belt in Brazilian Jiu-JitsuFormer LFA Light Heavyweight Champion (one-time)Former Hero FC Middleweight Champion (one-time)

Octagon Weaknesses

Cardiohttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dx7BNrYnz1M

Prediction

Smith's long reach has helped him prevail on the clinch or striking at range but Spann's power combinations inside the pocket can be a problem. Smith definitely test his striking arsenal against Spann but he should clinch with him and grind some fence work into a takedown. A fist fight with Spann doesn't favor him. Spann avoided this with Mischa Cirkunov, which bodes well for him against Smith. The winner could get a number one contender fight, so it can come down to whether Spann is fazed by this or not. I see both men pacing themselves as cardio isn't their most favorable attribute. We'll likely see some inactivity with these two. I'm taking the Over at plus money.

UFC Pick: (visit our Sportsbook Review)

*The pick reflects the line at the moment the writer made the play, the odds at the beginning of this article show the live line movement. Since the lines might vary, don’t forget to refer back to our live odds.