UFC on ESPN 36: Ryan Spann vs. Ion Cutelaba Picks and Predictions

Ryan Spann and Ion Cutelaba face off on Saturday in a light heavyweight showdown in the co-main event of UFC on ESPN 36 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Spann is ranked 13th in the lightweight division, while Cutelaba is currently unranked. 

Ryan Spann comes into this game with a 19-7 record overall but coming into this fight he has lost two of his last three fights. Spann’s last fight came against Anthony Smith, in September of 2021 and he looked awful in that fight. He was outstruck 17-8 and midway through the first round a rear-naked choke was locked in, and he was defeated. In March of 2021, Spann knocked out Misha Cirkunov. Spann is averaging 3.43 significant strikes per minute while absorbing 3.54 significant strikes per minute. Spann is averaging 1.58 takedowns every 15 minutes and he is successful on 38 percent of his takedown attempts. He also stops 60 percent of his opponent's takedown attempts. 

On the other side of this matchup is Ion Cutelaba who sits with a 16-6-1 record overall, but over his last four fights, he has one win, one draw, and two losses. Cutebala’s last fight came against Devin Clark in September of 2021, and he won that fight by unanimous decision. Cutebala is averaging 4.91 significant strikes per minute while absorbing 3.43 significant strikes per minute. Cutelaba wants to get the fight to the ground and he is currently averaging 4.39 takedowns every 15 minutes. He is successful on 60 percent of his takedown attempts and stops 79 percent of his takedown attempts.