Ryan Spann capped his UFC 281 night with a brutal knockout of Dominick Reyes, the two-time champion.
Well known as a powerful striker, Spann was showcasing even sharper hands than usual after he stung Reyes with an early punch but that only led to the fight finishing sequence. With Reyes stepping into an exchange, Spann uncorked a devastating jab that twisted into a left hook and the shot landed flush with the California native just crumbling to the canvas.
Spann followed up with another punch but that’s only because it took the referee a moment to swoop in and stop the fight with the end coming at just 1:20 in the opening round.
” I trained, and literally trained,” Spann said when asked what was the key to this fight’s success. I’ve never been trained to fight. * Nothing for more than three weeks. Damn, I look good.
” I just wanted to be free and flow. Everything went perfectly. Dom, I am sorry that you have lost weight. I needed this to happen the way it happened. We’re back at the gym Monday.”
This is a stunning admission by Spann. Although he has a lot of wins in UFC, it seems that he never put forth a complete effort to prepare for the fight.
Spann displayed confidence from the beginning of the fight and was willing to exchange punches, even with Reyes who boasts many knockouts.
A straight punch from Spann definitely got Reyes’ attention but it didn’t back him off completely and it turns out that would ultimately spell his doom.
Reyes wanted to put Spann to the test again. In another flurry of feet, Fortis MMA fighter Leo Fortis threw a punch to the jaw that knocked his opponent unconscious. He then crashed to the floor.
Spann is now 3-1 in his last four fights with his only loss coming to Anthony Smith in 2021 but it certainly appears he’s ready to make waves in the light heavyweight division after finishing a proven contender like Reyes on Saturday night.
Source: https://www.mmafighting.com/2022/11/12/23455568/ufc-281-video-ryan-spann-flattens-dominick-reyes-with-brutal-one-punch-knockout-in-first-round?rand=96749
