Dominick Reyes made his long awaited return against Ryan Spann at UFC 281, after losing to Jiří Procházka in 2021 and taking a year off to recover and reassess. The man who pushed Jon Jones to the limit in 2020 now found himself on a three-fight losing streak but surely hoped to show he still is that same guy against the always-exciting Ryan Spann.
As for Spann, this was an opportunity to take his career to the next level with a win against a former title challenger and top-ten ranked fighter in the division.
Reyes’ first strike in the octagon in almost two years was a teep to the belly as he kept his range well with his bladed southpaw stance. Spann clipped Reyes twice early on and jumped on a guillotine when Reyes’ knees hit the mat, but Reyes escaped. Then a naked kick from Dominick Reyes allowed Spann to counter him with a perfect left hook that caught Reyes coming forward and put him out cold.
The strength of @Superman_Spann was just on full display 👊 #UFC281 pic.twitter.com/zmQcahAHxJ
— UFC (@ufc) November 13, 2022
It was a devastating loss for Reyes, who will now face questions about his chin after his losses to Jiri and Jan, but for Ryan Spann this represented a huge step in his career that would put him in the top ten of the UFC light heavyweight division for the first time in his career.
Official Result: Ryan Spann def. Dominick Reyes by KO, Round 1, 1:20
