Preview: UFC 318 Prelims

Heavyweights

Ryan Spann (22-11, 8-6 UFC) vs. Lukasz Brzeski (9-6-1, 1-5 UFC)

BETTING ODDS: Spann (-218), Brzeski (+180)

Two heavyweights look to get some momentum going in this pairing. Spann had a frustrating career as a light heavyweight, showing little consistency despite being a top-tier athlete. “Superman” got off to a hot start with a few finishes, but his first UFC loss—a wild affair against Johnny Walker—showed some of the clear issues with his approach. Whenever his opponent would start finding success, things could start to spiral, with Spann pressing things more and more in an attempt to regain control of the fight. More often than not, that led to Spann charging into a finish, which eventually just led to wilder swings in variability in his fights over time. It’s easy to see why Spann would want a fresh start up at heavyweight, particularly given his massive frame, but there were some clear worries as to how he would fare in a division that often trades on durability at its highest levels. Indeed, while he was able to get his licks in against Waldo Cortes-Acosta, he clearly seemed to get inside his own head up until the point that the Dominican eventually knocked him out. Spann looks for his first UFC heavyweight win against Poland’s Brzeski, who has dealt with some similar problems.



Brzeski looked like an interesting heavyweight prospect coming off the Contender Series in 2021, showing some promise as a tall heavyweight who was able to pour pressure and volume on his opponents. Once Brzeski found himself in the UFC, he consistently wound up on the wrong side of the durability equation, getting cracked hard for some brutal knockouts. Brzeski might be the more dedicated fighter in terms of aggression, but Spann is the much better athlete with more weapons in what figures to be a race to a finish. The pick is Spann via first-round knockout.

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