Breaking: Anthony Smith to run it back against Ryan Spann at UFC Singapore
Back in September 2021, light-heavyweight contenders Anthony Smith and Ryan Spann met in the headliner of UFC Vegas 37 at the APEX centre.
The fight ended with Smith claiming a victory via a first round rear naked choke, earning a $50k performance bonus in the process.
Now, it has been announced that almost two years after their clash, ‘Lionheart’ and ‘Superman’ will square off again at the UFC’s upcoming event in Singapore on August 26. The news was broken on Twitter by renowned journalist Marcel Dorff.
Anthony Smith will fight Ryan Spann at #UFCSingapore on August 26th. (first rep. @MMAJunkie) #UFC #MMA #UFCESPN #UFC2023 #Rematch https://t.co/PKOoOrrMLv
Both men will likely have their backs to the wall when they face off in Singapore. Anthony Smith has not won a fight since defeating Spann, having fallen to Magomed Ankalaev in the summer of 2022 and more recently, Johnny Walker.
Ryan Spann, meanwhile, bounced back from his defeat to ‘Lionheart’ by defeating Ion Cutelaba and Dominick Reyes. However, in his most recent trip to the octagon, he was submitted by Nikita Krylov in the first round.
Nikita Krylov outgrapples Ryan Spann for the first round W 🪢 #UFCLasVegas https://t.co/8D9vPepnuo
Thus far, there has been no word on whether the rematch between Smith and Spann will be part of the Singapore event’s main card or whether it will be on the show’s preliminary portion.
Watch the first fight between Anthony Smith and Ryan Spann below.
Anthony Smith vs. Ryan Spann rematch: Who else is fighting at UFC Singapore?
The UFC’s visit to Singapore on August 26 is expected to be a Fight Night event that will likely air on the ESPN network in the US.
The event is set to be headlined by a major featherweight clash between former UFC titleholder Max Holloway and former two-time title challenger Chan Sung Jung.
They wanted it. They got it.
Max Holloway and "The Korean Zombie" fight in five-round #UFCSingapore headliner. 🏝️🧟♂️
More: bit.ly/42JSD2Y https://t.co/d5FIISRqBf
The fight has run into some criticism from some fans who seem to be worried for Jung’s health. ‘The Korean Zombie’ has not fought since his TKO loss to Alexander Volkanovski in April 2022, and has not won inside the octagon since June 2021.
Three more fights have been announced for the card, with the other key one seeing surging prospect Erin Blanchfield matched with former flyweight title challenger Taila Santos.
The winner of the bout could well end up fighting for UFC gold in the near future, as Blanchfield is currently ranked at No.4 in the division while Santos is ranked at No.3.
The two women were supposed to meet in February, but an injury forced Santos to withdraw, and Blanchfield instead defeated Jessica Andrade.