Anthony Smith and Ryan Spann will have a rematch this summer.
Light heavyweight contenders Smith (36-18 MMA, 11-8 UFC) and Spann (21-8 MMA, 7-3 UFC) have agreed to run it back at UFC Fight Night on Aug. 26, which takes place at Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore and streams on ESPN+.
Multiple people close to the situation informed MMA Junkie of the booking Friday, but they requested to remain anonymous since the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.
Smith, 34, defeated Spann by first-round submission at UFC Fight Night 192 in September 2021. His hostility toward Spann continued post-fight, which led to the opportunity for a rematch. “Lionheart” has dropped back-to-back fights against Johnny Walker and Magomed Ankalaev since the previous encounter.
Spann, 31, has gone 2-1 since the defeat to Smith. He stopped Dominick Reyes and Ion Cutelaba in the first round, then, most recently was submitted in the opening frame by Nikita Krylov at UFC Fight Night 221 in March.
The latest lineup for UFC Fight Night in Singapore now includes:
- Max Holloway vs. Chan Sung Jung
- Lukasz Brzeski vs. Waldo Cortes-Acosta
- Michal Oleksiejczuk vs. Chidi Njokuani
- JJ Aldrich vs. Liang Na
- Anthony Smith vs. Ryan Spann
