In a light heavyweight bout, Johnny Walker and Ryan Spann tangle at UFC on ESPN+ 36 Saturday at the UFC’s APEX Facility in Las Vegas. The prelims kick off at 5 p.m. ET on ESPN+, followed by the main card set for 8 p.m. ET.
Walker (17-5) steps into the octagon one inch taller than his opponent while possessing a three-inch reach advantage. He also leads Spann (18-5) in significant strikes landed per minute at 4.01 to 3.32, and he is way more accurate at 70.35 to 43.85 in significant strike accuracy percentage. In other words, Walker is dangerous if he can keep this fight upright. However, his confidence might be down a bit with two consecutive losses in his previous two fights, including getting knocked out by Corey Anderson on the UFC 244 card.
Where Spann holds an advantage is in grappling, and he will want to get this fight to the mat as soon as possible. He has a 1.13-to-0.43 takedown average, and 1.88-to-1.29 submission average advantage. Spann, nicknamed “Superman”, picked up a split-decision win over Smilin’ Sam Alvey last time out on the UFC 249 card, but his previous two fights finished inside the distance. Those two wins were a submission over Devin Clark, and a knockout of Rogerio Nogueira, showing his versatility as a fighter.
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Johnny Walker vs. Ryan Spann betting odds
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 8:30 a.m. ET.
SPANN (100) is a slight underdog, but he is a tremendous value against Walker (-125). Spann has proven he is becoming a well-rounded fighter capable of winning in a multitude of ways. And you have to question Walker’s confidence after a pair of setbacks in his past two fights. SPANN BY KO/TKO, DQ OR SUBMISSION (+175) is also worth a small-unit bet.
Take the OVER 1.5 ROUNDS (-112) in this one, however, as each of these fighters will likely take a little time to feel each other out. In addition, take ROUND 2 (+320) and ROUND 3 (+650) for the fight finish. Yes, you will lose one of these wagers, but if the fight ends in either Round 2 or 3 you’re still well ahead.
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