This past Saturday at UFC Vegas 21, there was a big matchup in the light heavyweight division in the co-main event. Rising contender, Ryan Spann (19-6), took on veteran Misha Cirkunov (15-6).
Going into Saturday night, I really liked Cirkunov’s chances. I believed we were going to see a grappling heavy fight and I believed that Cirkunov would have the big advantage. We’ve also seen Spann gas out which worried me in terms of his chances.
On the feet, I leaned a little towards Spann, but I didn’t think he’d be able to stop Cirkunov on the feet. However, I was dead wrong about that one. When the fight started, both men started exchanging on the feet.
The way the fight started certainly favored Spann. Spann said he wanted to be patient at UFC Vegas 21 considering all of the first round finishes that Cirkunov had. Well, just over a minute into the first round, Spann landed a massive right hand that put Cirkunov down.
Cirkunov bounced up, but Spann continued to hurt him on the feet. Eventually, Cirkunov collapsed and Spann followed up with a few shots before the referee stepped in. A massive win and arguably the biggest UFC win for Ryan Spann thus far.
What’s next after UFC Vegas 21?
UFC Vegas 21 was a beautiful bounce back fight for Ryan Spann. Spann was finished in his last fight by Johnny Walker. However, prior to him getting knocked out, he had hurt Johnny Walker. It was a back and forth battle that Walker ended up getting the better of.
Spann is now 5-1 in the UFC with the lone loss coming to Walker. With this win, Spann now sits at 11th in the light heavyweight division. So what should the promotion do with Spann after this big knockout win?
I think the next logical step for Spann would be to take on Nikita Krylov (27-8). Krylov is coming off of a loss, but he’s ranked ninth and he’s been in there with some of the best including Jan Blachowicz. A fight against Krylov would be a key test to see exactly where Spann is amongst the UFC’s elite light heavyweights.