Ryan Spann
Skill profile
138 MMA anchors Striking, Durability, Grappling · his tags and claims adjust Accuracy, Striking D, Wrestling · stats alone on TD Defense, Control.
Career rates — the raw numbers behind the chart
Insider info
vs Mario Pinto clear UFC Fight Night Parnasse vs Hooker Full Card Preview & Predictions · August 29, 2026
Gives a specific mechanism -- 'the longer it goes' favors Pinto and he doesn't think Spann finishes early -- and states the pick plainly ('we're gonna take Pinto') without any hedge on who wins.
A fast-starting, athletic power striker who tends to throw single shots rather than combinations, making him streaky. His grappling centers on a good, tight front-choke series that he doesn't set up especially well. Framed as needing an early finish, since the analyst believes a longer fight favors Pinto.
vs Marcus Buchecha lean UFC Fight Night Sterling vs Zalal Full Card Preview & Predictions · April 19, 2026 · 1 read since
explicitly contrarian pick against public opinion, but a clear fade mechanism is given
Explosive, athletic fast starter who hits hard but relies on single shots rather than combinations, and historically fades hard once his opening burst passes. Grappling includes a good, tight front choke, but is otherwise secondary to his striking.
vs Lukasz Brzeski coinflip UFC 318 Full Card Analysis, Prediction & Breakdown · July 15, 2025 · 2 reads since
He states outright he has 'no confident read' and calls it a 'tricky one to pick' where either man could win at any point, before settling on Brzeski for output and leg kicks and capping it with the root-beer idiom.
A big, powerful, highly athletic striker who starts fast but throws mostly single shots without much combination work. His grappling includes front chokes with a tight squeeze. The analyst's central concern is durability under adversity: he describes Spann as 'good hammer, very poor nail,' meaning he struggles once a fight goes past his early push and he fails to finish.
vs Waldo Cortes-Acosta clear UFC Fight Night Vettori vs Dolidze Full Card Analysis, Prediction & Breakdown · March 11, 2025 · 3 reads since
He expects the jab and sustained output to frustrate the opponent into straying from his usual single-shot discipline, which he says costs him the fight.
Our words: a boom-or-bust fighter -- extremely fast-starting and athletic, but all-action to a fault, which the analyst describes as a great weapon paired with a very exploitable chin. His power is real and his single shots can end a fight, but he rarely strings combinations together. His grappling shows a dangerous choke off his back, used reactively rather than as an active offensive game he creates himself.
vs Ovince St Preux lean UFC 307 Full Card Analysis, Prediction & Breakdown · October 2, 2024 · 4 reads since
A tag-trusting read would invert this pick to the loser: the winning block carries Spann's letter from segment nine through twelve, yet the winner is named outright, more than once. Confidence stays below clear because the analyst volunteers that a previous meeting between these two was scrapped when his pick withdrew ill, and that memory plus the age gap leaves him openly uneasy going in again -- a hedge on the outcome itself, layered under an otherwise confident case.
A powerful, fast-starting athlete whose game is built around an explosive opening burst, both on the feet and via front chokes/guillotines. The analyst's core read is that he fades hard once that burst is survived, which is framed as the single biggest key to beating him. His striking is described as more about power than refined skill.
vs Ovince St Preux lean UFC Fight Night: Burns vs Brady · September 4, 2024 · 5 reads since
self-described rough picks week; favors OSP's grappling
The younger man here, still physically in his window for the division -- quick out of the gate, highly athletic. Hits with real pop but relies on single strikes rather than combinations; a serviceable grappler with a solid front-choke threat. Carries the idiom-style tags 'kill or be killed' and 'good hammer, poor nail' (left unmapped, since a metaphor is not yet a ruled-on chin reading). His biggest risk is getting pulled into a guillotine attempt that plays directly into OSP's favorite finish.
vs Bogdan Guskov coinflip UFC Fight Night Nicolau vs Perez Full Card Analysis, Prediction & Breakdown (UFC Vegas 91) · April 23, 2024 · 6 reads since
States outright that this is a very-low-confidence pick for Guskov, going against the betting favorite.
Neither man has his spot in the division cemented, and the analyst frames Spann's 2-3 last-five record as the product of facing opposition that was sometimes a bit too high level, not a sign of decline. His named skills - decent striking with power (mostly single shots) and decent grappling with good front chokes - matter less than his intangibles: a very fast start, real athleticism, and an extremely 'kill or be killed' approach. The flip side, stated explicitly and without calling him weak, is that he can crumble once adversity sets in and the fight goes past his early window.
vs Anthony Smith emphatic UFC Fight Night: Holloway vs Zombie Full Card Breakdown, Predictions, & Analysis (UFC Singapore) · August 22, 2023 · 7 reads since
The underdog price on the favorite is called out as absurd and the fight is treated as already decided; no hedge anywhere on the outcome, with doubt left only on the exact round or finishing sequence.
A powerful, athletic, fast-starting fighter with a real front-choke threat who otherwise leans on single big shots -- a live-or-die style: if the early finish or the neck control doesn't come, the read is that he struggles against this level of opponent. Lost the first meeting between these two badly.
vs Nikita Krylov clear UFC Fight Night Yan vs Dvalishvili Predictions And Full Card Breakdown UFC Vegas 71 · March 7, 2023 · 8 reads since
A direct, unhedged "better fighter overall" declaration, made after explicitly conceding two real finishing paths for Spann (power, an early front choke) -- weighed and still resolved decisively in Krylov's favor, not left uncertain.
A more powerful, more athletic, and faster-starting fighter than Krylov, with real knockout power and a front-choke submission threat he can get early in a fight. The analyst does not rate his skills highly outside of those two specific weapons, but is explicit that both weapons line up directly against Krylov's two holes.
vs Nikita Krylov clear UFC Fight Night Krylov vs Spann Predictions And Full Card Breakdown UFC Vegas 70 · February 21, 2023 · 9 reads since
A specific, plan-based wager caution -- he will only bet it live, and only if it stays close past round two -- layered on a clear analytical expectation that Krylov wins, and wins impressively, calling him simply the better overall fighter.
A naturally athletic, powerful striker who 'hits like a truck' and carries a very good front-choke game (DARCE or guillotine) with a tight finish. The analyst is explicitly skeptical that Spann is as good as his recent good look suggests, attributing much of it to a named past opponent being in a down period rather than to Spann's own improvement, and expects Spann's own cardio to be a problem if the fight goes past two rounds.
vs Dominick Reyes clear UFC 281 Full Card Preview, Prediction, & Analysis · November 8, 2022 · 10 reads since
Named plainly at segs 14 and 17, with a stated skill-for-skill case and a cited betting-favorite price near -220. Not emphatic because he caps sizing -- telling viewers to pair him with a surer pick rather than lean on him alone -- and concedes real, named uncertainty about Reyes's current chin/mental state after two knockout losses.
A big, powerful 'glass cannon' per the analyst's explicit label: dangerous grappling and striking offense, but not durable and prone to getting rattled and panicking under sustained pressure. The analyst's case against him leans almost entirely on that mental/durability combination rather than any skill deficit.
Striking trend
Fight history
L Mario Pinto 11-0 walk-in KO/TKO · R2 0:55 — UFC Fight Night: Hooker vs. Parnasse · September 5, 2026
W Marcus Buchecha 5-2-1 walk-in KO/TKO · R2 2:10 — UFC Fight Night: Sterling vs. Zalal · April 25, 2026
W Lukasz Brzeski 1-5 walk-in Submission · R1 2:47 — UFC 318: Holloway vs. Poirier 3 · July 19, 2025
L Waldo Cortes-Acosta 12-1 walk-in KO/TKO · R2 4:48 — UFC Fight Night: Vettori vs. Dolidze 2 · March 15, 2025
W Ovince Saint Preux 27-17 walk-in Submission · R1 1:35 — UFC 307: Pereira vs. Rountree Jr. · October 5, 2024
L Bogdan Guskov 15-3 walk-in KO/TKO · R2 3:16 — UFC Fight Night: Nicolau vs. Perez · April 27, 2024
L Anthony Smith 36-18 walk-in Decision - Split · R3 5:00 — UFC Fight Night: Holloway vs. The Korean Zombie · August 26, 2023
L Nikita Krylov 29-9 walk-in Submission · R1 3:38 — UFC Fight Night: Yan vs. Dvalishvili · March 11, 2023
W Dominick Reyes 12-3 walk-in KO/TKO · R1 1:20 — UFC 281: Adesanya vs. Pereira · November 12, 2022
W Ion Cutelaba 16-6-1 walk-in Submission · R1 2:22 — UFC Fight Night: Blachowicz vs. Rakic · May 14, 2022
L Anthony Smith 35-16 walk-in Submission · R1 3:47 — UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Spann · September 18, 2021
W Misha Cirkunov 15-5 walk-in KO/TKO · R1 1:11 — UFC Fight Night: Edwards vs. Muhammad · March 13, 2021
L Johnny Walker 17-5 walk-in KO/TKO · R1 2:43 — UFC Fight Night: Covington vs. Woodley · September 19, 2020
W Sam Alvey 33-13 walk-in Decision - Split · R3 5:00 — UFC 249: Ferguson vs. Gaethje · May 9, 2020
W Devin Clark 10-3 walk-in Submission · R2 2:01 — UFC Fight Night: Joanna vs. Waterson · October 12, 2019
W Rogerio Nogueira 23-8 walk-in KO/TKO · R1 2:07 — UFC 237: Namajunas vs. Andrade · May 11, 2019
W Luis Henrique 10-4 walk-in Decision - Unanimous · R3 5:00 — UFC Fight Night: Marreta vs. Anders · September 22, 2018
Walk-in records count UFC bouts in this database. For the pre-UFC career, see the record breakdown below or the Tapology button up top.
Record breakdown
Wins by method
Losses by method
Fights by organization
+ 1 more organizations in the full career list
Full career — 35 fights, every organization
| Opponent | Method | Event | Org | Rd | Time | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | Marcus Buchecha | KO (punches) | UFC Fight Night: Sterling vs. Zalal
April 25, 2026 |
UFC | 2 | 2:10 |
| W | Łukasz Brzeski | Submission (guillotine choke) | UFC 318
July 19, 2025 |
UFC | 1 | 2:37 |
| L | Waldo Cortes-Acosta | KO (punches) | UFC Fight Night: Vettori vs. Dolidze 2
March 15, 2025 |
UFC | 2 | 4:48 |
| W | Ovince Saint Preux | Submission (guillotine choke) | UFC 307
October 5, 2024 |
UFC | 1 | 1:35 |
| L | Bogdan Guskov | TKO (punches) | UFC on ESPN: Nicolau vs. Perez
April 27, 2024 |
UFC | 2 | 3:16 |
| L | Anthony Smith | Decision (split) | UFC Fight Night: Holloway vs. The Korean Zombie
August 26, 2023 |
UFC | 3 | 5:00 |
| L | Nikita Krylov | Submission (triangle choke) | UFC Fight Night: Yan vs. Dvalishvili
March 11, 2023 |
UFC | 1 | 3:38 |
| W | Dominick Reyes | KO (punches) | UFC 281
November 12, 2022 |
UFC | 1 | 1:20 |
| W | Ion Cuțelaba | Submission (guillotine choke) | UFC on ESPN: Błachowicz vs. Rakić
May 14, 2022 |
UFC | 1 | 2:22 |
| L | Anthony Smith | Submission (rear-naked choke) | UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Spann
September 18, 2021 |
UFC | 1 | 3:47 |
| W | Misha Cirkunov | TKO (punches) | UFC Fight Night: Edwards vs. Muhammad
March 13, 2021 |
UFC | 1 | 1:11 |
| L | Johnny Walker | KO (elbows and punches) | UFC Fight Night: Covington vs. Woodley
September 19, 2020 |
UFC | 1 | 2:43 |
| W | Sam Alvey | Decision (split) | UFC 249
May 9, 2020 |
UFC | 3 | 5:00 |
| W | Devin Clark | Submission (guillotine choke) | UFC Fight Night: Joanna vs. Waterson
October 12, 2019 |
UFC | 2 | 2:01 |
| W | Antônio Rogério Nogueira | KO (punches) | UFC 237
May 11, 2019 |
UFC | 1 | 2:07 |
| W | Luis Henrique | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Santos vs. Anders
September 22, 2018 |
UFC | 3 | 5:00 |
| W | Emiliano Sordi | Submission (guillotine choke) | Dana White's Contender Series 10
June 19, 2018 |
Dana White's Contender Series | 1 | 0:26 |
| W | Alex Nicholson | KO (punches) | LFA 32
January 26, 2018 |
LFA | 1 | 4:24 |
| W | Myron Dennis | KO (punches) | LFA 27
November 10, 2017 |
LFA | 1 | 3:08 |
| W | LeMarcus Tucker | Submission (rear-naked choke) | LFA 23
September 22, 2017 |
LFA | 1 | 2:55 |
| L | Karl Roberson | KO (elbows) | Dana White's Contender Series 3
July 25, 2017 |
Dana White's Contender Series | 1 | 0:15 |
| W | Roman Pizzolato | Submission (guillotine choke) | World FC 72
May 13, 2017 |
World FC | 1 | 0:20 |
| L | Trevin Giles | Decision (split) | LFA 3
February 10, 2017 |
LFA | 3 | 5:00 |
| L | Robert Drysdale | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Legacy FC 58
July 22, 2016 |
Legacy FC | 2 | 2:58 |
| W | Aaron Davis | Submission (guillotine choke) | Legacy FC 52
March 25, 2016 |
Legacy FC | 1 | 2:53 |
| L | Leo Leite | Decision (unanimous) | Legacy FC 48
November 13, 2015 |
Legacy FC | 5 | 5:00 |
| W | Larry Crowe | KO (punches) | Legacy FC 42
June 26, 2015 |
Legacy FC | 1 | 0:08 |
| W | Dwight Gipson | Submission (guillotine choke) | Vengeance Fighting Alliance: Round 5
May 9, 2015 |
Vengeance Fighting Alliance | 1 | 4:39 |
| W | Artenas Young | Submission (guillotine choke) | Fury FC 4
February 13, 2015 |
Fury FC | 3 | 2:32 |
| L | Brandon Farran | TKO (punches) | Hero FC: Best of the Best 3
September 12, 2014 |
Hero FC | 1 | 0:21 |
| W | Randy McCarty | Decision (unanimous) | Hero FC: Best of the Best 1
February 1, 2014 |
Hero FC | 3 | 5:00 |
| W | Jhonoven Pati | Submission (guillotine choke) | Hero FC: Texas Pride
September 28, 2013 |
Hero FC | 1 | 2:32 |
| W | Brandon Atkins | Submission (guillotine choke) | Hero FC: Pride of the Valley 2
June 21, 2013 |
Hero FC | 1 | 0:44 |
| W | Steven Zamora | Submission (rear-naked choke) | El Orgullo del Valle
March 16, 2013 |
El Orgullo del Valle | 1 | 2:25 |
| W | Aaron Lebrun | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Vengeance Fighting Alliance: Round 1
February 16, 2013 |
Vengeance Fighting Alliance | 1 | — |
Career history from the fighter's Wikipedia record table (Ryan Spann) — results only, no strike stats; UFC bouts are marked and carry full stats in the fight history above.
Division context
Headshot of Ryan Spann by UFC · Official UFC athlete photo (copyright UFC; not freely licensed) · Wikimedia Commons · flattened onto dark background, cropped/resized