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After a number of the card's preliminary fights dragged on and went the distance, UFC Fight Night: Anthony Smith vs. Ryan Spann was not looking good. Thankfully, things quickly picked up.
With a main card chock-full of violence, UFC Fight Night: Anthony Smith vs. Ryan Spann ended up being one of the more enjoyable UFC events in recent weeks.
Seven of the 14 fights on offer last night ended in finishes, while there was a lot to like in a number of the other fights too.
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With this in mind then, here are the five most explosive moments from UFC Fight Night: Anthony Smith vs. Ryan Spann.
#5. Carlston Harris closes the night out on Impa Kasanganay for his second UFC win
Guyana’s Carlston Harris had to wait until his mid-thirties to make his UFC debut. When he stepped into the octagon for the first time in May, he made good on it. His debut lasted just under three minutes. He submitted Christian Aguilera with an anaconda choke.
Based on last night, it looks like ‘Mocambique’ is not willing to waste any time in his attempt to climb to the top of the UFC’s welterweight ladder. Harris picked up his second first-round win in the octagon, this time stopping Impa Kasanganay.
Once again, the fight didn’t even reach the three-minute mark. A relatively even fight saw Kasanganay seemingly hurt Harris first, but the Guyana native was able to hold his poker face and recovered quickly.
When the two welterweights embarked on a pretty wild trade, Harris got the better of things. He staggered Kasanganay before dropping him with a left hand.
Kasanganay attempted to roll and get to his feet, but Harris wasted no time pouncing on him and taking his back from the side. ‘Mocambique’ began to bomb the side of his head with punches.
There was no escape for Kasanganay, and referee Mark Smith quickly stepped in to call off the fight.
The win was another impressive one for Harris. There is no doubt that Kasanganay was a step up, coming off a win in his own right. It’s probably time to move ‘Mocambique’ up the card next time out to see if he can continue his explosive ways.
#4. Joaquin Buckley scores another one for his UFC highlight reel by taking out Antonio Arroyo
After losing his last UFC fight to Alessio di Chirico via head kick, the jury was out on exactly how high Joaquin Buckley’s ceiling was.
‘New Mansa’ had scored the knockout of the year – if not the decade – in 2020 with his spinning kick KO of Impa Kasanganay. But if he couldn’t follow it up with more wins, his UFC future would have been in trouble.
Last night though, Buckley delivered the goods in impressive fashion. He took out Antonio Arroyo and gave fans a glimpse of a brighter future for him.
Interestingly, the first two rounds saw Arroyo land the more telling blows. One such strike was a brutal flying knee late in the second round that Buckley somehow ate up.
But the third round saw ‘New Mansa’ come out with far more conviction. He backed his Brazilian opponent up and the pressure eventually told.
A wild right hand appeared to connect with the side of Arroyo’s head, causing him to stumble slightly. Buckley wasted no time in following up with a Mortal Kombat-esque uppercut that dropped the Brazilian.
Buckley followed with some hammer fists, but they were largely academic; the fight was basically over as soon as the uppercut landed.
Was this the best performance from Buckley? Well, not exactly, but the knockout was explosive. At the end of the day, it’s knockouts that UFC fans will remember.
#3. Nate Maness pulls off a hell of a comeback against Tony Gravely
The bantamweight bout between Tony Gravely and Nate Maness was flying under the radar somewhat last night. But it turned into one of the event’s more memorable clashes thanks to a wild comeback.
Maness produced the finish, but after the first round, it was scarcely believable that such a comeback would be possible.
The two men went largely toe-to-toe in the first round. In the dying seconds, Gravely countered a jab with a huge right hand that dropped Maness.
It looked like the fight was over. Gravely quickly dropped heavy leather over the top in an attempt to finish ‘Mayhem,’ only for the buzzer to signal the end of the round.
Maness somehow made it out of his corner for the second, but nobody really expected him to survive for much longer.
Incredibly, though, he somehow recovered – and midway through the round, nailed Gravely with a right hand of his own. The shot caused a delayed reaction before Gravely stumbled to the ground, and Maness wasted no time in sealing the deal on the mat.
This was both an explosive finish and a stirring comeback from Maness. It came as no surprise to see him awarded an extra $50k for his troubles.
#2. Anthony Smith chokes his respect out of Ryan Spann in the main event
Coming into last night’s UFC Fight Night, Anthony Smith reportedly felt disrespected by everyone from the UFC. He was determined to beat some respect out of Spann, and he did just that.
It didn’t come without a fight, though. ‘Superman’ clearly came out to take the fight to Smith and swung for the fences early on. However, it looked like Smith was the more powerful striker. On more than one occasion, he had Spann badly hurt with his strikes.
The end came when Spann’s legs were simply too rubbery to hold him up after he’d taken numerous big punches from Smith. When ‘Superman’ stumbled to the ground, Smith wasted no time.
He quickly took the back of Spann, slapped on a tight rear-naked choke and submitted him seconds later. The end of the fight almost triggered another brawl. Smith still seemed fired up and continued to rant at the beaten Spann.
Whether Smith’s post-fight anger was justified is a fair question to ask. However, this was a brilliant and explosive showing from him and marks his third first-round finish in a row. It’s time for the UFC to move him back up the ladder again.
#1. Arman Tsarukyan shows the entire UFC why he’s so feared – in just two minutes
There’s been a lot of hype around Arman Tsarukyan for a while now. It largely dates back to his back-and-forth UFC debut fight against Islam Makhachev.
Tsarukyan had won three straight fights since then. However, because they’d largely been grappling-based decision wins, the Russian had become someone largely avoided by opponents.
That might change after last night. Tsarukyan picked up his first UFC finish in truly explosive style. He stopped Christos Giagos with strikes in just two minutes.
A big left hand landed on Giagos, who suffered a delayed reaction before collapsing to the ground. From there, Tsarukyan pounced and punished him with a series of heavy follow-up strikes that finished ‘The Spartan’ off in brutal fashion.
The win should put much more hype around Tsarukyan than he had coming into this card. It should also put him in line for a much bigger fight next time out. Given the nature of the finish, it stands as the most explosive moment from this UFC Fight Night.
