Ryan Spann was looking forward to the opportunity to headline a UFC card and showcase the improvements in his game, but fate had other plans. Spann's goals were derailed by an unfortunate announcement during the broadcast of UFC Vegas 70 and his reaction reflected how he must be feeling.
Nikita Krylov contracted an illness in the hours leading up to his UFC Vegas 70 main event bout with Spann. Despite the best efforts of the medical staff, he was unable to compete.
Consequently, the Krylov vs. Spann headliner bout was removed from the card. The middleweight fight between Andre Muniz and Brendan Allen was promoted to a three-round main event.
Krylov, according to a report from UFC broadcaster Megan Olivi, arrived at the UFC APEX for treatment. He was given fluids for over 90 minutes in the hopes that he would be able to recover and continue.
Unfortunately, he still did not feel well enough to compete, leading to his scheduled five-round bout with Spann getting canceled.
Ryan Spann was obviously devastated by the news. Speaking to the media, he got emotional multiple times and nearly broke down in tears. However, despite the disappointment, he refused to call it a wasted camp.
Journalist Amy Kaplan reported on Spann's reaction first.
"Ryan Spann on the cancelation "FUCK!" #UFCVegas70"
"Ryan says he was peeing with USADA when they told him about the fight being off, just 10 minutes ago #UFCVegas70"
"Ryan says the disappointment comes from not getting to show off what he's been working on. He's clearly upset, crying #UFCVegas70"
Check out the tweets below:
Ryan Spann came off back-to-back victories over Ion Cutelaba and Dominick Reyes going into the fight against Nikita Krylov at UFC Vegas 70. However, the opportunity to extend the win streak fell apart when Krylov was forced to pull out of the main event clash due to illness.
The former Legacy Fighting Alliance (LFA) light heavyweight champion is widely regarded as a viable contender in the 205-pound division. A victory over Krylov at UFC Vegas 70 would have brought him closer to the title contention picture.
MMA fans felt sorry for Spann and voiced their support for him on Twitter. One fan wrote:
"I can't believe the #UFCVegas70 main event is off. Get well soon, Nikita Krylov. You have to feel for Spann as well; a win tonight would have put his name in the talks for a belt. #MMATwitter #UFC."
Another fan wrote:
"I hope Ryan Spann gets his full paycheck #UFCVegas70"
Another fan wrote:
"He knows heโs still gonna have to pay 15k training fee from his camp"
Check out some of the tweets below:
Hard to not feel for Ryan Spann, who said he found about his canceled #UFCVegas70 headliner at the same time we all did. Was still processing the news as he came to speak to the media moments later. ๐ ๐ Hopefully the UFC can book him again quickly.youtu.be/6F_RlYKRtTk
