Las Vegas, NV – Two weeks after having his main event spot fall out UFC light heavyweight Ryan Spann is set for a second attempt at fighting Nikita Krylov at UFC Las Vegas on Saturday night.
After having his original fight fall through a couple of weeks ago due to Krylov falling ill on fight day Spann went right back to work.
“The last couple weeks was really business as usual. We did what we were going to do anyway which was go straight back to training so that’s what we did,” Spann told reporters on Wednesday.
“I think, after we went through negotiations and stuff, I think I probably signed Thursday, Friday maybe. Either way we was all ready anyway. Kept training.”
New venue, not the UFC APEX, it’s all the same to Spann at the end of the day.
“I guess it’s neat to be somewhere else. I think this is a new place that we’re going to. I don’t put all my focus on that. That cage is the same whether it’s in there (or anywhere else). It don’t matter to me,” said Spann.
“It’s me, a dude that I can hit, and a dude that I’m not allowed to hit. Wherever you put that we’re good.”
Even if it was disappointing in the moment the two week push may have been a blessing in disguise for Spann who revealed that he had been dealing with some lingering issues going into the last event.
“I’m actually doing better now than I felt going into that week, and I felt pretty damn good, but there were some nagging stuff that…I needed that two weeks so we’re good,” he said.
The other difference in this fight is that it will be fought at a catchweight of 215 pounds which obviously helps in the weigh-cutting department. Spann said he had to negotiate with the UFC given that there are pros and cons to agreeing to a higher weight.
“We settled at 215,” he said.
The possibility of Krylov not making the fight for a second time has passed Spann’s mind, but he figures he’ll take it in stride.
“I don’t really give a f*ck. I just know I’ll be taken care of if he show up or not. And either way I’ll be ready and i’ll be back at work Monday. It’s all good,” he said.
In the end there were no hard feelings following the fight cancellation and Spann did go and speak to Krylov about it.
“It was kind of hard being that there is a language barrier, but I did want to go in and check in and let him know that yo there wasn’t…like I was cussing and fussing you know, but it was really because I didn’t want to let my team down. My coaches put so much into me,” Spann said.
“I’m just ready to perform and I always been. I just let him know…like I’ve been there. I was sick for fights before that I probably shouldn’t have took, but it is what it is. So I don’t fault him for that. I honestly didn’t know we were allowed to do that.”
Watch the entire media day scrum with Ryan Spann above. He takes on Nikita Krylov at UFC Las Vegas on Saturday.
