Ryan Spann has settled into his new home as a heavyweight, especially after he delivered a vicious knockout over multi-time grappling champion Marcus Buchecha at UFC Vegas 116 on Saturday.
After showing off his defense on the ground, Spann stayed in pursuit going after Buchecha on the feet when he saw an opening to threw a perfectly timed left-right combination. It was ultimately the straight right hand that blasted Buchecha on the jaw and sent him flying to the canvas in a heap as referee Herb Dean
rushed in to stop the fight at 2:10 in the second round.
With the win, Spann moves to 2-1 as a heavyweight after scoring his first victory in the division this past July.
“I looked a little chunky right there. We’ve got to fix that,” Spann joked about packing on a few extra pounds for his heavyweight frame. “I really just wanted to take my time. We got this call not even a month ago. My brother came in and we all got to work immediately. I wanted to maximize my time. I really just wanted o take my time. Your boy can breathe now.”
It looked like things might get dicey for Spann early after Buchecha took the fight to the ground and immediately tried to latch onto his back. But Spann resisted and eventually scrambled free to prevent any potential submission attempts.
As time passed, Buchecha was losing steam with every exchange and Spann actually forced him to scramble after snatching several front headlocks that forced the Brazilian to roll free before he faced a possible submission.
Spann really started to settle into a rhythm in the second round and that’s when he unleashed the combination that flattened Buchecha in devastating fashion.
The loss drops Buchecha to 0-2-1 in the UFC and it’s possible his latest setback could result in his exit from the promotion.
