UFC books Nikita Krylov vs. Ryan Spann for upcoming headliner
Top-10 light heavyweights Nikita Krylov and Ryan Spann will collide in the UFC Vegas 70 main event on February 25, 2023.
UFC Vegas 70 is blasting off from the APEX facility in Nevada, USA on February 25th, and the promotion has announced that the main event will be between their #6 ranked light heavyweight, Nikita Krylov, collide with their #9 ranked, Ryan Spann.
It’s usually a good time when top-10 light heavyweights wage war, ESPECIALLY when Krylov and Spann are on the docket. In his most recent stint with the UFC, Krylov has been involved in four finishes, and four decisions, which is cool but not that remarkable. However, in Nikita’s first run under the UFC banner, all-nine of his matches ended inside the distance, and that’s bananas! For Spann, seven of his last eight matches ended early. He won with two guillotines and three knockouts, and then fell short to one KO and one RNC. The lone decision in their was a split nod over Sam Alvey of all people.
It seems like a perfect time for these two to meet, since they are pretty close in the rankings, and both fighters are on a two-fight winning streak. In 2022 Spann submitted Ion Cutelaba in May, and then went on to knockout Dominick Reyes with a power jab in November. Also in 2022, Krylov swiftly sparked out Alexander Gustafsson in 67-seconds in July, and then took a unanimous decision over Volkan Oezdemir in October.
Spann and Krylov have positioned themselves in a great spot to where a victory at UFC Vegas 70 could put them within arms reach of a title shot. With Jiří Procházka on the sideline, and Glover Teixeira now enjoying retirement, the barrier to entry for a 205-pound title shot is as low as it has ever been. I’m hoping that the rather high stakes on the line further fuels these already fiery fighters, and we end up getting an all-time classic. Now let’s all hold hands as we pray for their respective gas tanks across five-rounds.
A top tilt is SET for February 25th! @NikitaKrylovUFC and @Superman_Spann are slated to go head-to-head! pic.twitter.com/QzDtFzl7Rw
— UFC (@ufc) January 29, 2023
About the author: Eddie Mercado has covered combat sports since 2015. He covers everything from betting odds to live events and fighter interviews. He holds a 1-0 record in pro MMA and holds a purple belt in Jiu-Jitsu. (full bio)