Athletes
Ryan Spann | Lessons Learned, Lessons Applied
Talented Heavyweight Focused On Consistency Ahead Of Clash With Marcus Buchecha
There are few fighters on the UFC roster as well-rounded and dangerous as Ryan Spann, the towering Dana White’s Contender Series grad who spent a number of years in the light heavyweight rankings before moving to the heavyweight division last year. With power in both hands, a nasty submission game, and uncanny fluidity for a man his size, the 34-year-old has always profiled as a serious threat in terms of the weaponry he brings with him into the Octagon.
But just as everyone largely agrees he’s skilled and talented, his shortcomings have been clearly established as well, with Spann speaking repeatedly about struggling with motivation and putting in the level of work needed to thrive at this level.
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That lack of full follow through reared its head last year in his divisional debut against Waldo Cortes Acosta in March.
“That first fight was really me just showing up and fighting a dude,” said Spann, who makes his third heavyweight start on Saturday against Brazilian jiu jitsu icon Marcus Buchecha. “I didn’t realize — I won’t say I didn’t realize because I’ve been blessed to have the people around me, telling me, ‘Hey — you need to be doing this; you should be doing that,’ but in my mind, ‘I’m a heavyweight now.’ I had to learn that lesson and now I listen to my people.”
Ryan Spann Fight Week Interview | UFC Fight Night: Sterling vs Zalal
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Ryan Spann Fight Week Interview | UFC Fight Night: Sterling vs Zalal
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Spann was stopped late in the second round by the surging Dominican contender but returned to action four months later at UFC 318 and showed another glimmer of what he’s capable of when he’s fully invested.
Matched up with Lukasz Brzeski, Spann played to his advantages, taking the Polish brawler down less than a minute in and dominating on the mat. After threatening with an arm-triangle choke on multiple occasions, Spann allowed Brzeski to work up to a knee, immediately locking in his signatur,e high-elbow guillotine choke — “The Superman-otine” — and secured the tap.
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“It makes everything easier when I do things the right way; that’s one thing I learned between Waldo and Lukasz,” Spann said. “Doing everything the right way going into Lukasz, I felt like I didn’t finish the Waldo camp — about three weeks out, I said, ‘I’m a heavyweight; I can do whatever.’
“The next camp, I made sure to finish, and it’s the same here — we’re working.”
The win was a reminder of how dangerous Spann can. Just like in his light heavyweight days, it doesn’t take much more than a couple quality finishes to elevate yourself into the rankings and into the mix in the heavyweight division right now. Newcomer Tyrell Fortune entered the Top 15 off his first win, Josh Hokit has quickly risen through the ranks, and others have all managed to collect numbers next to their names with a good win or two.
While he recognizes the possibility, Spann isn’t particularly concerned about anyone else in the division. His focus is exclusively on himself and doing the right things to ensure he can continue to have success.
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“I just want to be consistent with being me, with being free, with the work that we do, my eating habits and all that. The rest will take care of itself… I trust God, and I’ve been blessed all my life, so I just want to do everything I can on my end and that stuff I really don’t think about because I can’t do much about changing it other than what I can do. I just focus on trying to be as consistent as I can and doing everything I can do.”
For this camp, that meant sticking to the program that produced his win over Brzeski and as well as his longtime training partner Kennedy Nzechukwu’s clash with Buchecha back in December.
That experience gives Spann confidence as he looks at his matchup with a renowned jiu jitsu practitioner in Buchecha.
“I fought world champions,” Spann said. “I fought (Robert) Drysdale. I fought Leo Leites. This is nothing new to me. I appreciate the opportunity that I get to fight Marcus and appreciate the ability to fight anybody when I can fight. We’re just gonna take it like how we take anybody: very seriously.”
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So how does he think things will play out when he steps in there with Buchecha on Saturday?
“I can’t say what it looks like,” Spann said with a smile. “I can say what I would like it to look like, but at this point, I’m just trusting God. The bullet has been shot. I’m the bullet and I’ve just gotta go do my job.”
If he handles his business and gets to head home on Sunday morning with his hands raised and a smile on his face, “Superman” wants to spend the rest of the years focusing on sticking to that program.
“Truthfully, I want to stay working,” he said. “I want to stay consistent with my work and continually build my life routine, and then whenever it’s time to shoot, we gonna shoot. I just wanna be ready for whatever that entails and I just wanna do the work I need to do in the meantime.
“The only thing I can control is me and what I do, me and my life, and I just wanna be able to work.”
UFC Fight Night: Sterling vs Zalal took place live from Meta APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 25, 2026. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
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