After a week off, the octagon comes alive once again with UFC Fight Night action. Vegas 37 features a light heavyweight bout headliner between former UFC Light Heavyweight Championship title challenger Anthony “Lionheart” Smith and veteran striker Ryan “Superman” Spann. The co-main event is another close, light heavyweight matchup between Ion Cutelaba and Devin Clark.
Several other exciting matchups on the main and preliminary cards complete another action-packed weekend at the UFC Apex facility, Las Vegas, Nevada. Join us as we give you the best picks, odds, bets and predictions.
UFC Fight Night (Smith Vs. Spann) General Information:
- Date: Saturday, September 18, 2021
- TV-Time: ESPN+, 9:00 p.m. ET
- Venue: UFC Apex
- Location: Las Vegas, Nevada.
- Fights: 5 Fights on the Main Card and 9 fights on the Preliminary Card
- Main Event: Anthony Smith vs. Ryan Spann
Expert Pick #1 – Smith to win @-159
Anthony Smith is a seasoned UFC veteran. With over fifty professional MMA fights and 32 wins (19 via KO/TKO and 13 via submission), he is certainly one of the most experienced fighters on the roster. The “Lionheart” is currently on a two fight win streak, finishing both fights in the first round. He is such a sharp striker that he might as well be named the “Viper”. His calm demeanor speaks of his experience in the octagon
On the other hand, Spann is the less experienced fighter. Although he’s not green as he has considerable experience. The “Superman” has been in invincible form recently with his only defeat in the last 7 fights coming after taking several shots from Johnny Walker left him dazed in the first round. He possesses an excellent, well-rounded game, both on his feet and the ground, and should prove a worthy opponent for “Lionheart” on the night. However, most of Spann’s wins have come via early finishes and the “LIonheart” never gets brought down early. This game will be an absolute firecracker. The Lionheart’s durability will give him the win in this fight. Our first expert pick is a dub by Smith.
Records: Anthony Smith 35-16-0 | Ryan Spann 19-6-0 Main Card – Light Heavyweight (205lbs) – Approx. Start Time: 2:00 a.m. ET
Expert Pick #2 –Cutebala to win @-172
Ion “The Hulk” Cutelaba is on a very poor run of form. The Moldovan has not won a single fight since 2019 and is in danger of being thrust further down the light heavyweight roster if he fails to win on yet another outing to the octagon. He comes up against Devin “Brown Bear” Clark, who also comes into this fight on the back of a defeat, but the American has only two losses in his last five.
Cutelaba will be fighting to remain relevant at 205 pounds while Clark will look to finally get one win over one of the more established fighters at light heavyweight. The Hulk’s wrestling could prove too much to handle for Clark, with the latter not possessing the very best ground game (his last two defeats came by way of submission). Meanwhile, Cutelaba is an excellent wrestler, and he should be the hungrier fighter going into this one. Having put the rivalry with Magomed Ankalaev behind him, he looks set to bounce back in style. And our experts predict that a win against Devin Clark is the perfect way to do that.
Records: Ion Cutelaba [15-6-1] | Devin Clark [12-5-0] Main Card – Light Heavyweight(205lbs) – Approx. Start Time: 1:30 a.m. ET
Expert Pick #3 – Buckley to win @-149
Joaquin Buckley vs. Antonio Arroyo is a fight between two welterweights looking to get back in the winning column after enduring defeats in their last outings to the octagon. Arroyo has not won a single fight in the UFC since being handed a professional contract back in 2019. He looks set to turn his luck around as he goes up against Joaquin “New Mansa” Buckley in what looks to be an exciting fight.
Both fighters are capable of the spectacular, Buckley has shown that he is capable of the spectacular and a finish could very well decide this fight in the opening rounds. Buckley is the more well-rounded of the two fighters and the more experienced in the UFC. He will also be fighting in front of a home crowd, it is expected that he bags the win and sees a not so long-awaited return to the win column.
Records: Joaquin Buckley [12-4-0] | Antonio Arroyo [9-4-0] Main Card – Welterweight (185lbs) – Approx. Start Time: 12:00 a.m. ET
Complete Card & Predictions for the Night
UFC Vegas 37 features an action-packed card, the headline being a showdown between UFC veteran Anthony Smith and a hungry fast-improving fighter in Ryan Spann. Other matchups on the card also pit fighters that have a lot to prove and are fighting for more than just their paychecks. Here are the Predictions, Odds, Bets and Tips for this weekend:
Main Event
- Light Heavyweight (205lbs): Anthony Smith vs. Ryan Spann – Smith via submission
Main Card
- Light Heavyweight (205lbs): Ion Cutelaba vs. Devin Clark – Clark via Decision
- (W) Flyweight (125lbs): Ariane Lipski vs. Mandy Bohm – Lipski via Decision
- Lightweight (155lbs): Arman Tsarukyan vs. Christos Giagos – Tsarukyan via KO/TKO
- Middleweight (185lbs): Joaquin Buckley vs Arroyo – Buckley via KO/TKO
Preliminary Card
- Bantamweight (135lbs): Nate Maness vs. Tony Gravely – Gravely via KO/TKO
- Lightweight (155lbs): Dakota Bush vs. Rong Zhu – Zhu via Decision
- Bantamweight (135lbs): Gustavo Lopez vs. Heili Alateng – Alateng via KO/TKO
- Light Heavyweight (205lbs): Mike Rodriguez vs. Talon Nchukwi – Rodriguez via Decision
- (W) Bantamweight (135lbs): Pannie Kianzad vs. Raquel Pennington – Kianzad via Decision.
- Bantamweight (135lbs): Montel Jackson vs. JP Buys – Jackson via KO/TKO
- (W) Flyweight (115lbs): Erin Blanchfield vs. Sarah Alpar – Blanchfield via Decision
- Welterweight (125lbs): Impa Kasanganay vs. Carlston Harris – Impa via Submission
- (W) Flyweight (115lbs): Emily Whitmire vs Hannah Goldy – Whitmire via Decision
👀 @DerekBrunson ready to perform this Saturday and jump the line to the top 🏆
— UFC (@ufc) September 1, 2021
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