NEW YORK – The UFC light heavyweight division has a new contender ready to knock on the No. 1 contender’s door.
[autotag]Ryan Spann[/autotag] impressed on the prelims of UFC 281 at Madison Square Garden by knocking out former title challenger Dominick Reyes in the first round. It was a brutal finish that will shine on Spann’s highlight reel, but the moment was tainted by a weight miss by less than a pound, and other issues going on at home.
“It’s bittersweet due to the week that we’ve had, and the penalties that we had to suffer with the point-five, point-six weight miss,” Spann told reporters during the post-fight news conference. “So, it’s a little bittersweet, but it’s alright.”
Spann (21-7 MMA, 7-2 UFC) officially weighed in over the light heavyweight limit at 206.6 pounds. Due to the miss, he was ineligible to win a fight night bonus, which his highlight reel finish of Reyes (12-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC) would have been a likely candidate for the award.
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Although Spann says he did everything right during camp to prepare for the fight, and to make weight by working with his nutritionist earlier than usual, an illness threw a wrench in his fight week plans.
“I was sick, I was sick as sh*t,” Spann said. “We had to take a Z-Pak on Sunday, I think. Then when I got here, then I found out Monday my oldest son got sick. Tuesday, my daughter got sick, and Wednesday I got a text saying my (other) son had it. On top of that, I had my Mom and Dad at the house, so we had to go through a lot to try to stay focused and whatnot, but (I put) trust in my team, trust in myself and everyone around me.”
The win over Reyes marked Spann’s second-straight first-round finish, entering on the heels of a submission of Ion Cutelaba in May. The Fortis MMA product has his eyes set on the top of the division. In fact, he wants only the very top, the No. 1 contender.
“Like I said the other day, I’m not the shooter, I’m the bullet,” Spann said. “I want top five – four, three, two, I don’t want.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 281.
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