UFC veterans Anthony Smith and Ryan Spann clashed this weekend in the co-main event of UFC Fight Night in Singapore. This was a much-awaited fixture, as the light heavyweights were long due for a rematch against each other after their first fight in March of 2021. In their first fixture, Smith emerged as the winner as he submitted Spann in the first round itself. So, this was the perfect opportunity for the latter to redeem himself and get closer to the title shot.
The fight started with Smith playing his aggressive game, and he managed to land a good front kick followed by a strong right hand. Spann also had his moments in the first round, as he locked his opponent in a guillotine but was not able to hold it for long.
In the initial moments of the second round, Ryan Spann clipped Smith, which hurt his left eye. However, the referee did not bother to stop the fight to take a look at Smith’s injury. The round was comfortably dominated by Spann, as he had significant ground control over his opponent.
#UFCSingapore Official Scorecard: Anthony Smith (@lionheartasmith) vs Ryan Spann
Complete Scorecards: https://t.co/aJSn7FQAeq pic.twitter.com/mItFV55rkQ
— UFC News (@UFCNews) August 26, 2023
The third round was a close one as both fighters threw some significant strikes. Smith used his leg kicks to perfection in this one, and Spann too landed some clean combinations. Anthony Smith was declared the winner via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28).
MMA Pros reacts after Anthony Smith defeats Ryan Spann
After UFC veteran Anthony Smith managed a close win against Ryan Spann, check out how the MMA pros reacted to the thrilling fight. Former UFC light-heavyweight champion Jamahal Hill congratulated the Smith for his victory.
Let’s go brotha @lionheartasmith
— Jamahal Hill (@JamahalH) August 26, 2023
Hill also looked concerned for the ‘Lionheart’s’ left eye which was badly injured during the fight. He wrote. “Damn that eye is bad Anthony has to go for the kill!!”
UFC commentator Jon Anik also took to ‘X’ to appreciate Anthony Smith’s walk-out song for his match-up at UFC Singapore. Smith used a classic track by legendary artist Eazy-E to build the energy in the arena before the fight.
Gimme all of this @lionheartasmith walking out to Eazy-E. He actually is a real muthaph*ckin’ G. #UFCSingapore
— Jon Anik (@Jon_Anik) August 26, 2023
UFC fighter Gilbert Burns also joined in to congratulate the winner Anthony Smith as he wrote, “Congrats @lionheartasmith, what a heart!”. While some are calling it a robbery, there are also others who think Smith deserved the victory.
After this fight, came the main-event for the night where Max Holloway defeated The Korean Zombie by TKO in the third round. Overall, it was a superb event for the fight fans out there in Singapore as what looked like a brilliant card on paper did not disappoint at all.