5 best finishes from UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Spann

UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Spann took place at the UFC Apex Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on September 18, 2021. The card consisted of fourteen fights distributed between the preliminary card and main card. Out of the fourteen bouts, seven ended in finishes (two submissions, five KO/TKOs).

The main event saw Anthony 'Lionheart' Smith deliver an exemplary performance against Ryan Spann. Smith finished Spann in the first round. With this win, Smith has made a triumphant comeback to winning ways and a possible title shot in the near future.

In the co-main event, fan-favourite Ion Cutelaba did away with his drought of victories as he delivered a spectacular performance to bag a unanimous decision win over Devin Clark. Cutelaba's last outing ended in a draw against Dustin Jacoby. Before that, he was riding a two-fight losing streak.

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#5. Hannah Goldy kicks off UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Spann with incredible first-round submission

Hannah Goldy faced Emily Whitmire in the first fight of the preliminary card at UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Spann. The fight saw activity from the very beginning as both fighters rushed to take control of the octagon.

Whitmire secured a brilliant takedown. She attempted to scramble and execute ground-and-pound strikes. However, Goldy's grappling off her back was exceptional. She was able to ward off attacks and maintain a safe position while scrambling off her back.

Whitmire v Goldy: UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Spann

The two got back on their feet and Whitmire secured another takedown. A similar battle on the ground followed suit, after which Whitmire attempted to throw long strikes while standing up. Goldy responded with terrific upkicks and swiftly got a hold of Whitmire's arm. She gradually positioned herself to execute an armbar and locked it in.

Whitmire tapped and Hannah Goldy won the opening bout of UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Spann via submission at 4:17 of the first round.

#4. Nathan Maness produces a comeback for the ages at UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Spann

UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Spann saw bantamweight fighters Nathan Maness and Tony Gravely lock horns inside the octagon.

The fight started with both fighters pressing the stand-up action. While Maness threw more volume, Gravely was able to connect with more power shots. Gravely also succeeded in adding a successful takedown to the mix early on in the fight.

On the feet, Gravely's strikes were crisp and powerful. He employed a mix of punches and kicks to maximize the damage he dealt to his opponent. With just seconds left in the first round, Gravely caught Maness with a clean hook that instantly sent him back-first into the cage. As Gravely approached to finish Maness with ground-and-pound, something that seemed very likely at the time, the hooter for the round sounded and the referee pulled Gravely away.

Although Maness was clearly rocked when he returned to his corner, he caught a second wind as he carried on trading blows with Gravely. He continued to use his reach advantage by throwing strikes in volume. Two minutes into the second round, Maness threw a right hook that landed bang on-target. Gravely fell to the canvas and Maness followed up with ground-and-pound to win the fight via TKO at 2:10 of the second round.

His incredible performance at UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Spann also earned Nathan Maness the Performance of the Night Bonus.

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#3. Arman Tsarukyan bags early KO victory over Christos Giagos

UFC lightweights Arman Tsarukyan and Christos Giagos fought a short-lived barn burner at UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Spann.

Tsarukyan rushed to control the octagon as soon as the fight started. Both fighters maintained their distance, aware of each other's ruthless striking abilities.

Tsarukyan v Giagos: UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Spann

Nevertheless, the exchanges were intense and fast. Tsarukyan saw much more success as he applied pressure. He mixed his striking well to keep Giagos guessing.

Giagos attempted a body kick in one such exchange. However, Tsarukyan checked the kick with his left hand and immediately curled the hand back to throw a quick hook. The hook struck gold and knocked Giagos down. Tsarukyan followed up with some heavy ground-and-pound strikes to win the fight via TKO in 2:09 of the first round at UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Spann

#2. 21-year-old Zhu Rong delivers masterclass at UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Spann

Rong v Jenkins: UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Spann UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Spann

UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Spann featured the youngest fighter on the current roster, UFC lightweight Zhu Rong. Rong faced Brandon Jenkins on the preliminary card.

Zhu Rong made up for his unsuccessful UFC debut back at UFC 261 by delivering an absolute masterclass against Brandon Jenkins. Jenkins' capable competition and activity during the fight makes Rong's performance all the more admirable.

Rong was quick on the feet. He connected powerful shots with precision and power. In the first round itself, he offered a glimpse of his strength by knocking Jenkins down with a counter-right.

Although Jenkins was able to gather brief moments of momentum, he was unable to match Rong's dominance on the ground. Rong used sound and strong wrestling to scramble and make space for dishing out heavy ground-and-pound strikes.

He did so in several moments during the fight, including the finishing sequence.

Rong took Jenkins into deep waters as he threw heavy ground-and-pound to finish the fight. Even though an exhausted Jenkins did all he could to survive the onslaught, Rong rallied on with his efforts and scrambled to get on Jenkins' back. The next couple of long shots straight to the jaw sealed the deal for Rong as he won the fight via TKO in 4:35 of the third round at UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Spann.

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#1. Anthony Smith makes a bold statement by finishing Ryan Spann in the first round of UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Spann

Anthony Smith made quick work of Ryan Spann in the main event of UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Spann.

Right from the beginning of the bout, Smith looked sharp and quick with his movement. He fainted jabs and connected with some shots as Spann attempted to scope out the distance.

UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Spann

Smith's shots hit their target with a lot of force. He mixed up his striking, employing low kicks and variable punches to keep his momentum going.

Smith's head movement aided him in avoiding some heavy shots thrown by Spann. Spann clinched Smith from the back after an exchange between the two. While escaping the clinch, Smith landed a solid hook and followed it up with a combination, sending Spann crashing into the canvas.

UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Spann

Smith attempted to end the fight on the ground, but Spann managed to pull through by scrambling out of submission attempts.

After they got back up on their feet, Smith scored another takedown and scrambled on until he managed to slip-in his arm across Spann's neck from his back. Smith submitted Spann in round one at UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Spann.